A majority of jobseekers in the UAE are considering switching industries as new career opportunities open up in sectors such as health care, engineering and banking, according to a survey by jobs site Bayt.com and YouGov.
About 56 per cent of professionals in the Emirates are seeking an industry change in the next few months, citing better career growth and higher salaries, the survey found.
The survey polled more than 2,300 people in 17 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.
Border closures and movement restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic affected the global jobs market in 2020, leading to salary cuts and redundancies. However, as economies reopen, new career opportunities have opened up, the survey said.
“Despite a challenging year, many industries in the UAE have introduced new career opportunities for jobseekers.”
In the current economic climate, survey respondents said the top three industries for job security are in government (31 per cent), followed by military, defence and police (27 per cent), and oil, gas and petrochemicals (23 per cent).
“The job market is constantly evolving and so are the needs of jobseekers,” said Ola Haddad, director of human resources at Bayt.com.
“In order to understand the factors influencing industry attractiveness, we conducted the … survey to determine how people identify, apply for and evaluate job opportunities across a range of industries. For recruiters, the data will help foster deeper engagement and higher application rates.”
About 23 per cent of UAE survey respondents said they had changed industries at least once in the past two years. Of those who moved into a new sector, 46 per cent said they were seeking better opportunities for career growth, 43 per cent wanted a higher salary while 22 per cent cited a lack of recognition in their current roles.
Most job seekers in 2021 are interested in working in health care (15 per cent), engineering and design (12 per cent) and banking and finance (9 per cent).
When it comes to the work-life balance, the public sector also came out on top at 37 per cent, followed by oil, gas and petrochemicals at 20 per cent and the IT and e-commerce sector at 17 per cent.
Meanwhile, health care and medical services (26 per cent) and banking and finance (25 per cent) were the most attractive industries for women. About 29 per cent of all survey respondents said the oil, gas and petrochemicals sector offered the best career growth and salary packages, followed by IT at 21 per cent.
However, when asked to look ahead, 32 per cent of respondents said the IT sector is the top industry expected to record the strongest growth next year in the UAE.
“Our latest survey has unearthed a whole host of invaluable insights into jobseeker preferences and satisfaction levels with various industries, on attributes including salary and benefits, work-life balance, career growth and job security,” said Zafar Shah, research director of data services at YouGov Mena.
“Industries across the region must ensure that they are responding to jobseekers’ changing needs.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Fight card
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) v Rey Nacionales (PHI)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROM) v Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR)
Catch 74kg
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) v Omar Hussein (JOR)
Strawweight (Female)
Weronika Zygmunt (POL) v Seo Ye-dam (KOR)
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) v Walid Laidi (ALG)
Lightweight
Leandro Martins (BRA) v Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW)
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) v Sofiane Benchohra (ALG)
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR)
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Glen Ranillo (PHI)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Aidan Aguilera (AUS)
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) Sasha Palatnikov (HKG)
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR)
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
