Monster Employment Index records most growth in UAE healthcare industry while hospitality sector faced challenging times in 2016

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December 2016 Index Highlights

  • The December MEI registered a 31 percent year-on-year decline in online hiring in the UAE representing a 4 percentage point improvement from November 2016
  • Purchase / Logistics / Supply Chain occupations continue to be the only group to witness year-on-year growth at 24 percent
  • Online recruitment is down by 41 percent in the Middle East region with the Hospitality sector continuing to record the largest decline at -64 percent.
  • Amongst the Middle East countries monitored, Egypt recorded the highest decline in online opportunities at -39 percent while Bahrain and Oman are the only countries to register growth at 4 percent.

 

Dubai, 23 January 2017 Looking at online hiring activity in the UAE throughout 2016, the Monster Employment Index (MEI) reveals that the healthcare industry recorded the most growth while the hospitality sector registered the most decline amid macroeconomic challenges.

The healthcare industry has been among the top performing industries in online hiring in the UAE with a peak in February 2016 when the year-on-year growth reached 76 percent. Throughout the year, the industry has maintained an average year-on-year growth of almost 20 percent despite a 17 percent dip registered in the latest report.

“It is not surprising that the healthcare sector performed well on our MEI in 2016 as the UAE government places the nation’s healthcare system at high priority and aims to have one of the strongest healthcare systems in the world in line with the National Agenda and 2021 Visions. There have been a number of developments in the field which may have contributed to the high demand in professionals in the healthcare industry including the mandatory health insurance requirements that have been put in place this month,” said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com, APAC & Middle East.

Online hiring in the UAE hospitality industry, on the other hand, has been among the lowest performing industries in the MEI in 2016. With an average year-on-year decline of 25 percent throughout the year, the UAE hospitality sector slowed down significantly in online hiring every month from February to December 2016. The latest MEI registered a 30 percent decline in online hiring in the industry from the same period last year which according to leading recruitment website, Monster.com, could be a result of the pressure faced by hotels to reduce rates amid macroeconomic challenges.

“The UAE hospitality industry, much like others around the world, has had a challenging year in 2016 with growing supply, weakened currencies including the rouble, euro and British pound, a stronger dollar to which the UAE dirham is pegged, and the lingering low oil prices. We are hopeful that with the sustained political security, more stable economic conditions and the growing number of world-class tourist attractions being launched in the country, the sector will see some improvement in the coming years,” added Modi.

The December MEI registered a 31 percent year-on-year decline in online hiring in the UAE representing a 4 percentage point improvement from November 2016 and is based on a real-time review of job opportunities from a large representative selection of career web sites and online job listings. According to the MEI, Purchase / Logistics / Supply Chain occupations continue to be the only group to witness year-on-year growth at 24 percent while Production/Manufacturing, Automotive and Ancillary was the only industry sector to register positive annual growth at 2 percent.

In the wider Middle East region, online recruitment is down by 41 percent with the Hospitality sector continuing to record the largest decline at -64 percent. Amongst the Middle East countries monitored, Egypt recorded the highest decline in online opportunities at -39 percent while Bahrain and Oman are the only countries to register growth at 4 percent.

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About the Monster Employment Index

Launched in April 2011 with data collected since October 2010, the Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity in the Middle East conducted by Monster.com.  Based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, including Monster Gulf, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide. Monster has taken due care in compiling and processing the data available from various sources for Monster Employment Index, but does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or action / decision taken or for the results obtained from the use of such information.