Top 3 industries hiring fresh graduates in UAE

The 2021 Fresh Graduates in the Middle East and North Africa survey, conducted recently by Bayt.com and YouGov, market research agency, has found that nearly 9 in 10 of UAE respondents (88 per cent) appear to be satisfied with the quality of higher education they received, with 46 per cent stating that they are very satisfied.

Interestingly, 75 per cent of respondents say they’ve considered the job availability in the field they chose to major in prior to enrolment, and over 8 in 10 respondents (82 per cent) claim that their education has prepared them to target the industry of their choice.

Jobs for fresh graduates

The most commonly studied subjects among fresh graduates in the UAE include engineering (24 per cent), accounting/ finance (19 per cent), business/ commerce/ economics (13 per cent) and information technology/ computer science (13 per cent). Almost 4 in 10 of graduates said that their college helped them identify or apply for a suitable job in a number of ways including: job announcements (39 per cent), help with CV and cover letter writing (37 per cent) and career fairs (34 per cent).

In terms of the most popular tools among fresh graduates for finding their first job, UAE respondents listed leading online job sites (51 per cent), social media sites (47 per cent), and direct applications to target companies (42 per cent).

When asked what they expect to receive in their first job, almost 8 in 10 of fresh graduates said they expect to be offered a basic salary (79 per cent) and 50 per cent expect to get housing allowance. Moreover, over 3 in 5 of current employees work in their field of study, with 43 per cent being employed full time and 19 per cent part time.

A significant number of respondents feel that the biggest challenge they face in finding a job is knowing how to approach the job search affectively (46 per cent), finding relevant jobs (38 per cent) and lacking of previous work experience (34 per cent).

Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: "The 2021 Bayt.com Fresh Graduate Survey offers vital insights into the current market trends, illuminates the factors driving hiring demand, and helps universities benchmark their career services practices to better position graduates for success. Fresh graduates can easily utilise different tools on Bayt.com that are designed to build their CV, develop their skills and increase their professional knowledge. They can also apply to thousands of jobs that are available on our site currently.”

Most attractive industries and skills in demand

Based on the survey, the most appealing industries for fresh graduates from a career perspective are engineering/ design (22 per cent), banking/ finance (19 per cent), and advertising/ marketing/ public relations (19 per cent). When it comes to industries that seem to be hiring the highest number of fresh graduates in the UAE, respondents listed advertising/ marketing/ public relations (26 per cent), healthcare/ medical services (16 per cent), and military/ defense/ police (13 per cent).

According to 45 per cent of respondents, some industries employ fresh graduates because they have lower salary expectations. Another 38 per cent believe that certain industries hire more young graduates because they are compliant and willing to follow instructions.

In terms of skills required to excel in the workplace, UAE respondents mentioned computer skills (58 per cent) as most important, followed by communication (49 per cent) and interpersonal/ team skills (35 per cent). In terms of their own personal skills, respondents consider their interpersonal/team playing skills (93 per cent), flexibility/adaptability to change (95 per cent), computer (86 per cent), and communication skills (86 per cent) to be good or very good.

Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov said: “The fresh Graduates in the Mena survey shows that more and more employers are opening their doors to fresh graduates. Universities must also provide extensive career guidance and support which includes job matching, personalised career coaching and planning, and tap on their network of industry partners to curate suitable job placement and apprenticeship opportunities for fresh graduates.”

Data for the 2021 Bayt.com Fresh Graduates in the MENA survey was collected online from 21 March to 2 May 2021. Results are based on a sample of 820 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others. — business@khaleejtimes.com