Bayt.com, has recently conducted the Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa 2020 survey in partnership with YouGov, global online market research company, in order to help professionals understand current satisfaction levels within certain industries and make an informed decision about their future. The survey revealed that most job seekers in Kuwait are interested in working in Healthcare/ Medical services (15%), Commerce/ Trade/ Retail (15%) and Engineering/ Design (15%).
Moreover, Oil/ Gas/ Petrochemicals (35%), Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (28%) and Government/ Civil Service (21%) are the three most attractive industries to work in when it comes to maintaining a work life balance, followed by IT/ Internet/ E-commerce at 12%.
When it came to satisfaction with the current or most recent industries, respondents in Kuwait were most satisfied with the working hours (68%), followed by work culture (55%) and work-life balance (51%).
Furthermore, the industries with the most competitive packages are perceived to be Oil/ Gas/ Petrochemicals (according to 53%), followed by Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (18%). Oil/ Gas/ Petrochemicals (43%) and Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (23%) are also considered to be the top industries that offer the best career growth.
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com says: “Our latest survey confirms a significant increase in interest in certain industries – largely fueled by salary and benefits, work-life balance, career growth, and job security. Employers need to deliver on job seekers’ continuously-evolving expectations to attract the best candidates. This starts with understanding job seeker preferences, which can be achieved through our research at Bayt.com.”
Government/ Civil service (23%) and Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (21%) are perceived to hire the highest proportion of fresh graduates among other industries.
Moreover, Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (29%), Education/ Academia (25%) and Healthcare/ Medical Services (23%) emerge as the industries which are the most attractive to females in Kuwait. Oil/ Gas/ Petrochemicals (42%), followed by Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (24%) and Military/ Defence/ Police (14%) are the top three industries in terms of attracting the highest proportion of local talents.
On the other hand and when asked to look ahead, IT/ Internet/ E-commerce (26%) is seen as the top industry that is expected to record the strongest growth next year.
Another major finding of the survey is that 16% of respondents in Kuwait have changed their industry at least once in the past two years. For those who have changed industries, better salaries (47%), better opportunities for career growth (27%) and flexible timing (27%) are the top reasons for this change.
More than half of professionals in Kuwait (53%) are considering an industry change in the next few months. Better salary (51%) is the top reason for considering an industry change, while better career growth follows at 43%. Furthermore, Oil/ Gas/ Petrochemicals (11%) emerges as the most appealing industry amongst those who consider an industry change.
Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov said: “In order to learn the best ways to attract and recruit professionals, you should first understand which industries they’re moving to, which they’re leaving from, and why. The 2020 Bayt.com Top Industries in the MENA survey provides a deep dive into the factors influencing industry attractiveness. This helps recruiters to better attract professionals and optimizes their hiring efforts.”
Data for the Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa 2020 survey was collected online from 21 September 2020 to 8 October 2020. Results are based on a sample of 1,898 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.