A recent study released by Hays Recruiting revealed that professionals working in the IT sector in the Gulf are more optimistic about the prospects of a pay rise as compared to professionals in non-IT roles.
The Hays 2018 GCC Salary and Employment Report showed that over a third or 34 percent of IT professionals surveyed said they realistically expected their salary to increase by more than 15 percent this year. On the other hand five percent expected their wage packet to decline in 2018.
Chris Greaves, managing director, Hays Gulf Region, said, “We believe there to be an increasing number of roles available within the IT industry, thanks to a growing focus on e-commerce and digitalisation of businesses across all sectors, and Construction and Property industries in response to the growing number of affordable housing projects set to take place within UAE and Saudi Arabia.”
The report also showed that 34 percent of those with sales roles are expecting a salary change anticipating a hike of more than 15 percent. The construction, property and engineering industry are also looking up with 31 percent anticipating a similarly healthy wage increase.
Meanwhile, finance and accounting professionals were more cautious, with 26 percent predicting an increase of more than 15 percent,
According to Greaves, the study also found that many businesses are being more selective in their hiring, with increasingly more rigorous and prolonged application processes that ensure that companies only commit to the costs of hiring after identifying the most qualified candidates.
More notably, the report revealed that 71 percent of respondents planned to increase headcounts in 2018, with 66 percent predicting increased market activity for their business year-on-year.
“The continued diversification of the local economy, away from its reliance on the Oil & Gas sector and the increasingly globalised nature of the market have brought many opportunities to businesses in the region who are actively hiring additional staff in order to capitalise on these.”
In the UAE specifically, initiatives such as Expo 2020 and the Dubai Smart Government Programme will further fuel demand for IT expertise, he added.
Greaves added that a big part of the recruitment activity will be for executives and sales professionals, as companies that have previously downscaled seek to hire C-level turnaround specialists and an increasing volume of business ventures look for new sales professionals.
“The introduction of VAT will also drive new opportunities for tax implementation specialists and there will be growing interest and investment in the job market in the build up to Expo 2020.”
