October 2016 Index Highlights

  • The UAE has seen a 18 percent year-on-year decline in job opportunities listed online compared to October 2015; however, has witnessed a 16 percent growth in online job postings month-on-month

  • Production/ Manufacturing, Automotive and Ancillary; and Healthcare all experienced growth in online job opportunities in the UAE

  • Both Bahrain and Oman recorded negative growth for the first time in six months

  • KSA saw a 12 percent decline from the same period last year; seven percentage points higher than last month.

Dubai, 22 November 2016 

The Monster Employment Index (MEI), a monthly gauge of online job posting activity in the Middle East, has registered a 18 per percent decline in online job postings across the UAE compared to the same period last year. Despite this, the index registered the most optimistic results in the region on the month, reporting 16 percent growth over the month of September.

“This has been the first time the results for the UAE have improved since July this year, and while we hope this is an early indication of a recovery in the UAE recruitment industry, it is too early to make any predictions,” said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com, APAC & Middle East.

Industries that recorded the highest growth in online recruitment across the region included Production/ Manufacturing, Automotive and Ancillary; and Healthcare at four percent and two percent respectively. The most in-demand occupations were seen in Purchase, Logistics and Supply Chain, reporting seven percent growth.

In contrast, the hospitality sector recorded the highest decline in online job postings with a reduction of 37 percent from the same period last year, while demand in Finance and Account professionals saw job postings down by 49 percent from October 2015.

From the GCC countries analysed, the latest MEI reveals Bahrain (two percent) and Oman (five percent) both registered a decline in online recruitment from last year, for the first time in six months. KSA recorded a six percent month on month decline and a 12 percent year-on-year decline.

Looking at the wider Middle East region, Egypt witnessed a dramatic (47 percent) decline since last year, the steepest among all countries monitored by Monster. E-recruitment activity in the country also plunged nine percent from last month.  

“The UAE is the most promising market among the regions monitored. This can be attributed to the nation’s commitment to diversifying its economy and becoming less reliant on oil export revenues. With ambitious visions and developments undergoing in many sectors, the government’s strategy has succeeded in reducing the impact of the reduced oil prices on the UAE economy. Through time, and as developments continue, we believe demand for talent in the UAE will increase,” Sanjay added. 

The Monster Employment Index is based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career web sites and online job listings. The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.

-Ends-

Read the full report here.

About the Monster Employment Index
Launched in April 2011 with data collected since October 2010, the Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity in the Middle East conducted by Monster.com.  Based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, including Monster Gulf, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide. Monster has taken due care in compiling and processing the data available from various sources for Monster Employment Index, but does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or action / decision taken or for the results obtained from the use of such information. 

About Monster Worldwide 
Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW) is a global leader in connecting people to jobs, wherever they are. For more than 20 years, Monster has helped people improve their lives with better jobs, and employers find the best talent. Today, the company offers services in more than 40 countries, providing some of the broadest, most sophisticated job seeking, career management, recruitment and talent management capabilities. Monster continues its pioneering work of transforming the recruiting industry with advanced technology using intelligent digital, social and mobile solutions, including our flagship website monster.com® and a vast array of products and services.  For more information visit www.monster.com/about.

For more information please contact:
Siobhan Graham 
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
T: +971 4 562 3046
E-mail: Siobhan.Graham@hkstrategies.com  

© Press Release 2016