25 November 2015
· EMAAR, Shell, and Emirates lead the list of job-seeker preferences

· Top 20 MENA InDemand Employer list comprises 60% firms Headquartered in Middle East

Dubai, UAE - LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD), the world's largest professional network on the Internet with over 400 million members worldwide,has announced the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) rankings of the most InDemand employers in 2015. The LinkedIn InDemand list represents the most sought-after employers in the region based on millions of interactions from LinkedIn's members. Rather than relying on questionnaires, InDemand measures the actual behavior of professionals as they explore their career journey on LinkedIn.

According to this year's list, the top represented sectors in the rankings include oil and gas, real estate and construction, and telecommunications and technology.

The Oil and Gas sector in the Middle East was proven to attract the most talent with more than six companies in the Top 20 list and with the prime positionsgoing to Shell, Saudi Aramco, and BP.

The Real Estate and Construction industry was the second dominating sector on the list, with EMAAR in the lead as the most InDemand MENA employer in 2015. The list also includesother construction firms such as KEO International and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC).

An equally InDemand sector is Telecommunications and Technology, with Etisalat in the lead, followed by Apple, Google and GE.

LinkedIn MENA Top 20 InDemand Employers

1.       EMAAR

2.       Shell

3.       Emirates Airline

4.       Procter & Gamble

5.       Etisalat

6.       Unilever

7.       Saudi Aramco

8.       Apple

9.       Etihad Airways

10.   BP

11.   Google

12.   KEO International Consultants

13.   Al Tayer Group

14.   Schlumberger

15.   Weatherford

16.   Dubai Islamic Bank

17.   OSN

18.   Qatar Petroleum

19.   GE

20.   Consolidated Contractors Company

On the LinkedIn Top 20 InDemand MENA rankings 2015, Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn Talent Solutions, MENA, said: "The healthy mix of regionally-headquartered and global firms in the Top 20 list shows the vibrant business environment in the Middle East. Organisations in this list are investing in their employer brand, and their strategic approach to staffing denotes an appreciation of social recruiting. The presence of these brand names in this list adds significantly to our Economic Graph vision, with multi-market, multi-sector opportunity for professionals on LinkedIn."

Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties, said: "Emaar's premier ranking in LinkedIn's Top 20 InDemand Employers in the MENA underlines our position as the most preferred 'employer of choice' in the region. It demonstrates the rewarding career and personal development opportunities that Emaar offers to its team members, who become part of a dynamic company that is quickly expanding across the region. Emaar offers an inspiring work environment where our employees work with professionalism and pride on the development of our iconic properties. Our organisational credo, 'No Other Way' (NOW), encourages team members to deliver their best in a constantly changing environment while learning from the highly skilled and experienced senior managers. The recognition belongs to every employee of Emaar who makes it an exceptional place to work."

NureddinWefati, Head of Media Relations - MENA, Shell International, said:"Shell's vision is to be the employer of choice and to provide fulfilling career opportunities for promising talent both regionally and globally. As part of this commitment, we continuously look to recruit graduates and experienced professionals as part of our goal to be the world's most innovative energy company, under which we seek to identify, recruit and develop competent and capable males and females and provide long term career growth in Shell."

On being on the top 3 on the LinkedIn InDemandlist 2015, Abdulaziz Al Ali, Emirates' Executive Vice President, Human Resources said:"Emirates remains an employer of choice for candidates in the Middle East and around the world. Each year, we receive almost 500,000 applications for just a few thousand positions. Candidates are attracted to work at Emirates because of our reputation as one of the world's most admired and successful airlines, as well as the career advancement opportunities and the stability that comes from working at a growing and highly profitable enterprise. While we already employ more than 60,000 people from 170 countries, our expansion has us on the lookout for additional candidates who want to make a difference, build a rewarding career and ensure the continued success of Emirates for many years to come"

LinkedIn announced the Arabic version of the site in February 2015, giving the world's 300 million Arabic speakers easier access to the world's largest professional network. 

-Ends- 

Notes to Editors
The rankings are calculated using a combination of the following factors:

·         Reach: non-employees connecting to current employees, and non-employees viewing employee profiles

·         Jobs: non-employees viewing jobs, applying for jobs

·         Engagement: non-employees visiting the company page and career pages and following the company

About LinkedIn
LinkedIn connects the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the ways companies hire, market and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world's first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has more than 400 million members and has offices around the world.

For further information, please contact:
Anit Kurian / Khalid Yahya
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai - UAE
+971 4 450 7600
anit.kurian@bm.com / khalid.yahya@bm.com

© Press Release 2015