83% of UAE employees are ready to quit: Study

Dubai - While 85% of UAE employees claim that career development is most important, many complain that their companies don't provide enough career development opportunities.

According to a recent 'Career Development in the Middle East and North Africa' poll conducted by Bayt.com, a lack of career development prospects can radically make or break employee engagement. 
On one hand, career development is of utmost importance to professionals in the MENA - even if it means rebooting their whole lives or taking their careers in a totally different direction.  In the UAE, 85% of respondents say that career development is "very important". In parallel, 40% are prepared to move to another country to develop their career while another 57% are willing to change sectors completely. 
On the other hand, the results also show that in the eyes of MENA employees, companies' HR departments are not doing enough to provide them with the career development opportunities - including promotions, adequate appraisal performance systems, role enhancements, mentoring programs and advanced training seminars - that they need to ensure professional growth. 
All in all, the analysis reveals that these gaps and inefficiencies are the reasons why certain employers are struggling to retain top talent. 
The study found that, while a total of 57% of UAE job holders want to attain higher-level positions, over one third (35%) have never had a promotion in their current company. Another major takeaway from the survey is that 33% strongly think that there is equal opportunity for advancement at their company; likewise, 32% strongly claim that job promotions are awarded fairly and without bias. 
Based on the survey results, 50% of UAE working professionals are satisfied with their supervisor's efforts to identify their strengths and weaknesses; 27%, however, are "very dissatisfied".
"Today, employees in the UAE are - understandably - eager to craft solid career trajectories and advance their professional development," said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. "Unfortunately, however, as evidenced by the survey results, many of them feel that their company is failing when it comes to equipping them with the well-rounded tools, blended learning approach, and tailored training needed to ensure their career growth and progression. And this leaves employees feeling stifled in their jobs - which in turn affects their loyalty, morale, and performance." 
"Only about 3 in 10 current employees strongly believe that there is equal opportunity for advancement at the company," said Elissavet Vraka, YouGov. "Companies in the Middle East can stand to benefit from creating transparent systems where employees feel confident about their career development."
Data for the Bayt.com 'Career Development in the Middle East and North Africa' poll was collected online in October 2015, with 3,359 respondents covering 13 countries in the MENA region.

• UAE