Six in 10 fresh graduates want to work in UAE

DUBAI / Emirates Business

Young job seekers and recent graduates continue to enter the job market in the Middle East and North Africa, competing for entry level jobs very actively. Bayt.com – the Middle East’s #1 Job Site – and YouGov – global online market research company –conducted a survey titled “Fresh Graduates in the MENA”, in which more than half of UAE respondents (61%) claimed that they found or plan to find their first job through leading online job sites. Further, almost half (49%) of respondents in the UAE claim that they found their first job in less than six months.

MOST ATTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
Almost a quarter (24%) of respondents in the UAE said that the most appealing industry for a career is Engineering / Design. This was closely followed by Banking / Finance (20%) and Advertising / Marketing (20%). These findings seemed to mirror the views of respondents when it came to which industries they see hiring the highest number of fresh graduates. A quarter of respondents said that
Advertising / Marketing (25%), Banking / Finance (25%), and IT (21%) hire the highest number of fresh graduates in the UAE.
When asked why respondents think these industries employ more fresh graduates compared to others in the UAE, almost half (45%) said that these industries believe fresh graduates have “lower expectation on salary”. This was followed by
respondents believing that fresh graduates can “handle more challenges” (37%) and that they are “more creative” (36%).

SALARIES, BENEFITS, AND
JOB ATTRIBUTES
When selecting a job in the UAE, being passionate about the job itself emerged as the most important factor, according to 44% of respondents. Just over one in ten (11%) also said that a well-known organisation was an important factor when selecting a job in the UAE. Another 8% of respondents also mentioned “opportunities for career progression” as an important attribute when selecting a job.
Salary expectations are varied in the UAE, with 30% of respondents saying that they received or would expect to receive a salary between USD 751 and 1,500 in their first job. Another 30% of respondents said that they received or would expect to receive a salary that is higher than USD 1,501 in their first job. 28% of respondents said they received or expect to receive a salary below USD 750, while 12% said they don’t know or are not sure about their salary expectations.
In addition to a basic salary, other benefits that respondents expect include personal medical insurance (42%), Housing allowance / Company provided accommodation (42%), annual air ticket (40%), and transportation allowance (36%).
When asked about relocation for employment, UAE emerged as the most attractive country. Nearly six in 10 respondents (58%) said they would relocate to the UAE for job opportunities.

CHOOSING A FIELD OF STUDY
One in four respondents residing in the UAE (25%) have studied Engineering. Business / Commerce / Economics (20%), Accounting / Finance (16%), Sciences (9%), and Information Technology (8%) were also among the most popular subjects. Over two thirds of fresh graduates (69%) in the UAE said that they considered the availability of jobs in their potential field before deciding their major. Whereas less than one in three (31%) said they did not consider job availability prior to their decision.
Respondents were asked if they believe they would have fared better in the job market with a different major or a different school. While 36% said no, over one in four (28%) said that they would have fared better with a different major and 25% said that they would have fared better with a different major and a different school.
When it came to whether there was a link between the field respondents studied and where they are employed, surprisingly, half of fresh graduates who are employed (50%) said that they were not employed in their field of study. The other half does, in fact, work in their field of study.