One in every two (50 per cent) UAE professionals are considering an industry change in the next few months, according to the most recent "Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa" survey Bayt.com and YouGov.

This is in spite of the fact that only one in four (24 per cent) respondents report having changed industries during the last two years.

The desire to find a new job, switch current career or industry altogether is also translating to heavier online activities.

Amongst those considering an industry change in the UAE, the most appealing industries include banking/finance/accounting (10 per cent), followed by Aerospace/ Airline/ Aviation (8 per cent), and Manufacturing (7 per cent).

When asked about their reasons for considering an industry change, the top answers were 'better salary' (51 per cent), 'better career growth' (47 per cent), and 'better work-life balance' (36 per cent).

For those who have already changed industries, the most common reasons for having done so were a 'better salary in the new industry' (42 per cent), 'better career growth opportunities in the new industry' (33 per cent), and to 'fulfill a lifelong ambition of working in a particular role' (25 per cent).

Most Attractive Industries

When asked about their perception of job attributes in various industries, survey respondents claim that the best salary packages in the UAE are found in certain industries including aerospace/ airline/ aviation (19 per cent), banking/ finance/ accounting (18 per cent), government/civil services (18 per cent), and military/ defense/ police (15 per cent).

According to respondents, government/ civil service (31 per cent), banking/ finance/ accounting (17 per cent), and education/ academia (16 per cent) are among the industries with the best work-life balance, while banking/ finance/ accounting (21 per cent) remains high on the list for having the best career growth opportunities.

Further, among industries perceived to have the most optimum job security are government/ civil service (31 per cent), military/ defense/ police (28 per cent), and banking/ finance/ accounting (18 per cent).

For survey respondents, the industries believed to have experienced the strongest growth in the past year include tourism (17 per cent), banking/ finance/ accounting (16 per cent) and real estate/ construction/ property development (16 per cent).

In terms of the talent being attracted by various industries, those that are most attractive to women in the UAE include healthcare/ medical services (26 per cent), hospitality/ recreation/ entertainment (23 per cent), banking / finance (20 per cent), and education/ academia (20 per cent). Meanwhile, industries attracting the highest proportion of fresh graduates in the UAE are banking/finance/accounting (17 per cent), hospitality/ recreation/ entertainment (16 per cent), and government/civil services (15 per cent).

Across the UAE, a majority (75 per cent) of respondents agree that the government is an employer of choice, with over half (58 per cent) claiming that the government is an "extremely favorable" employer. The survey found that government/ civil service emerged among the top five industries in terms of optimum job security (31 per cent), best work-life balance (31 per cent) and best career growth (19 per cent).

Most Challenging Industries

In the UAE, respondents perceive the most stressful industries to be real estate/ construction/ property development (19 per cent), followed by banking/finance/accounting (16 per cent), and hospitality/ recreation/ entertainment (12 per cent).

Among industries perceived to have the longest working hours, hospitality/ recreation/ entertainment (23per cent), healthcare/ medical services (13 per cent), transport/ travel (13 per cent) and real estate/ construction/ property development (13 per cent) emerged at the top.

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