Dubai: Everyone wants to have a job that makes them feel good, motivated and productive. Unfortunately, only a few people have that kind of job. Research has it that across the world, the number of professionals with great jobs rarely tops 10 per cent. Great jobs, after all, are very hard to find, especially amid times of uncertainty.
According to Gallup, out of approximately 3.2 billion adults who are employed or searching for work, only 6 per cent, or 183 million people, have a great job. These lucky few feel a connection to their company. They are more involved and enthusiastic about what they do. And they are more likely to rate their lives positively than others.
“The dream of men and women around the world is to have a good job and, ultimately, a great job. Yet fewer than 200 million people ae realising this dream,” noted Jon Clifton, managing director, global analytics at Gallup.
In case you’re wondering where the great jobs are, or if you're currently looking to make the big move, Gulf News has reviewed the data in the 2016 Global Great Jobs Report by Gallup, which provides a lowdown on the real jobs situation in 131 countries.
Based on Gallup's data, it may be a good idea to narrow down your search in the Middle East, Asia or Latin America. The highest percentage of adults who are employed in a job they love can be found in these regions, including the UAE. The UAE has recently been named as home to the happiest workers in the region by a separate study released by LinkedIn.
Overall, Panama, which has a very large expatriate community and is home to the famed waterway that links the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, leads the table, with 13 per cent of its working adults saying they have great jobs.
The United States - which has attracted more than 42 million immigrants - Russia and Uzbekistan are trailing behind, where 12 per cent of the workers love what they do for a living.
Also not far behind are Chile and Mongolia, where 10 per cent of the workforce have great jobs. Popular expatriate hubs in the Gulf, such as the UAE and Bahrain, are not to be outdone, either, with 9 per cent of their workers declaring they have great jobs. The two GCC states are ranked alongside Costa Rica, Colombia, Uruguay and Turkmenistan, a former soviet state.
Also worth checking out for those who feel like they have yet to find a job that makes them happy or feel motivated are Kuwait, Philippines, Canada and Estonia, where 8 per cent of the workforce say their jobs are great.
It is essential to highlight these locations because people who work full time “spend most of their waking hours” in their workplace.
“When people have a job they hate, they are more likely to rate their lives worse than people who do not work at all,” wrote Clifton. Whereas, people who love their jobs are “more involved in and enthusiastic about their work.” In other words, “they are loyal and productive.”
However, if finding a great job is too difficult to achieve, the least one can do is land a good job – one that requires about 30 hours per week of consistent work and pays regularly. According to Gallup’s estimates, 1.3 billion of the world’s roughly 5 billion adults fall under this category.
So where can you find a good job? The countries that are worth looking at are Qatar and UAE, where 55 per cent and 53 per cent of the population, respectively, have good jobs.
Bahrain (44 per cent), another expatriate destination in the GCC, as well as Belarus (43 per cent) and Sweden (42 per cent) are also good options.
Singapore and Kuwait also offer a considerable number of “good “ jobs, each at 41 per cent. In Latvia and Israel, four out of ten people (40 per cent) have a good job, while in Lithuania, 39 per cent said the same thing. Taiwan, Slovakia, Estonia and Russia also offer good jobs, at 38 per cent each.
If other Asian or European countries are what you prefer, Hong Kong, Norway and Czech Republic aren’t the least favourite either, with 37 per cent of their workforce saying they have good jobs.
Slovenia is also worth looking at, with 36 per cent of the workers saying they have good jobs.
QUICK GLANCE
United Arab Emirates
Brief: Country has 7.8 million working expatriates, representing more than 80 per cent of the 9.2 population. The Gulf state offers the most number of good jobs in the world, after Qatar.
9 per cent of professionals have great jobs
53 per cent are employed in good jobs
United States
Brief: Home to more than 40 million immigrants, the United States is a regular favourite among foreigners looking for a new life overseas.
12 per cent of professionals have jobs they love
32 per cent have good jobs
Qatar
Brief: The country’s economy is powered by huge natural gas reserves and oil reserves. It accounts for 1.5 million expatriates.
7 per cent have great jobs
55 per cent have good jobs, the highest in the world
Panama
Brief: The country’s major economic asset is the Panama Canal. However, while this country leads the world in terms of providing great jobs, there aren’t that many employment opportunities when compared to other countries.
13 per cent of employed workers have great jobs
19 per cent have good jobs
