Seven out of 10 employers in the UAE are planning to hire new staff next year, a survey has shown.
Among the most sought-after roles that employers are hiring for over the next three months are sales executive (20 per cent), accountant (18 per cent) and administrative assistant (16 per cent), it said.
Fifty per cent of the companies that plan to hire in the next three months will be hiring for a maximum of five jobs, while 25 per cent will be hiring for 6-10 jobs, the survey said.
According to the Middle East Job Index Survey by job site Bayt.com and market research agency YouGov, good communication skills in Arabic and English (51 per cent) emerged as the top skill that employers looked for. Being a team player (42 per cent), good leadership skills (34 per cent) and ability to work under pressure (33 per cent) were among the other desirable skills.
In terms of experience, 28 per cent of respondents stated that they were looking for candidates with managerial experience, while 27 per cent were searching for those with sales and marketing experience and 29 per cent wanted candidates with mid-level experience.
Business management (22 per cent), engineering (22 per cent) and commerce (19 per cent) were the most sought-after academic qualifications among employers.
Overall, business consultancy/business management/management consulting (84 per cent) emerged as the top industry claiming to hire the most in the next one year across the MENA region. This is followed by commerce/trade/retail (82 per cent) and consumer goods/FMCG (81 per cent).
