Ramadan 2021 in UAE: Job hunting on the rise during the holy month

Job hunting by professionals across the Middle East and North Africa region is gaining momentum with the onset of Ramadan as job seekers find more time to explore new career opportunities during the Holy Month, according to the finding of a poll conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s top job site.

While 88 per cent of those surveyed plan to make more time for finding a job during Ramadan, an equal majority of respondents (89 per cent) claim to have more positive and optimistic feelings about their career during Ramadan, whereas 88 per cent believe that the holy month lifts overall morale at work, the annual ‘Ramadan in the Mena’ poll survey report said.

Some 69 per cent of respondents believe that hiring activity increases during Ramadan, 14 per cent say it decreases while 11 per cent believe it remains the same.

A recent research by Seintiv Talent Solutions, a global consulting firm, shows that the UAE job market is seeing a wave of talent movement across sectors post-pandemic, with more people moving into e-commerce and technology. The new trend has led human resource experts to flag talent retention as the next big challenge amid the bounce back in the job market in the country. Job portals including LinkedIn, Bayt and others are seeing a spike in the number of roles advertised by new age business players, the study said. An analyst said high potential talent is in high demand as businesses are recovering.

Ola Haddad, director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said for Mena professionals, the Holy Month is also a time to contribute meaningfully, focusing on the celebration and wellbeing of their families and communities. “Our annual survey highlights that many professionals find Ramadan a better time to work on their careers, as they feel more focused and productive. As the region’s largest job site, we ensure that we support all job seekers with their professional goals during the Holy Month.”

The report noted that most Mena companies make special adjustments during Ramadan. These include offering flexible working arrangements/shorter hours (54 per cent), maintaining health and safety at work (14 per cent), giving more rest breaks throughout the day (2.0 per cent), and tolerating lower productivity/leniency with deadlines (1.0 per cent). In fact, 87 per cent of respondents say that their direct managers accommodate their religious/spiritual needs during Ramadan. Thanks to these special measures, 85 per cent of respondents are satisfied with their employer’s flexibility during Ramadan.

While 65 per cent of respondents agree that their workload increases during the month, 21 per cent said their workload stays the same during Ramadan, whereas 14 per cent said it decreases.

“Despite changes in workload, 40 per cent of professionals agree that they feel more productive during Ramadan, 49 per cent of respondents said their productivity doesn’t change, and only 11 per cent said they become less productive.

“Responses are fairly evenly split when it comes to taking time off from work during Ramadan. 40 per cent of respondents say that they take more vacation days during Ramadan, while 52 per cent claim the opposite is true,” said the report.

A majority of respondents said that they commit more pious acts (68 per cent, more focus on career goals (9.0 per cent), more charitable activities and good deeds (9.0 per cent), and more time with the family (6.0 per cent). In addition, 65 per cent per cent of respondents agree that their company increases charitable activities during the Holy Month.

— issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com