According to new research from LinkedIn, one of the world’s largest professional network, professionals in the UAE and Saudi Arabia prefer working in the region rather than relocating to Europe or the US.

About 82% of surveyed professionals expressed this sentiment, with standard of living (46%), attractive lifestyle (35%), and opportunities for professional growth (31%) making the region a preferred destination for working professionals.

This comes as no surprise as the UAE emerged as one of the most resilient international markets when it comes to hiring, with a 0.3% annual increase in hiring, up by 30% compared to pre-pandemic December 2019.

Professionals aim to reclaim their careers in the new year as a significant number of them (62%) are either actively looking for a new job, or plan to start looking for one soon. Better salaries (42%) and the need for a better work life balance (33%) are the top two reasons for professionals seeking a career move.

However, it is worth noting that 73% of professionals in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are considering finding new homes due to rising rent prices, underscoring the correlation of affordable housing with retaining talent within the region.

Skills remain at the core of the future of work in UAE

There is a growing understanding of the importance of skills in the UAE labour market, with more professionals highlighting their skills instead of degrees when looking for a new job (83%).

Professionals are notably focused on upskilling, as 76% of them said that they would take on more stretch projects at work to diversify their skills, and spend more time than usual doing online courses to boost their career progression (72%).

Following the last few years of uncertainty in the workplace, 84% of UAE professionals are keen to future-proof their careers by focusing on skilling.

Saudi professionals are confident about their careers in 2024

About 79% of KSA professionals state confidence about interviewing for a new role, and 78% feel confident about searching for a new job. This confidence stems from a significant number of them (77%) believing that their job prospects in 2024 are better than last year.

More KSA women are pursuing career moves in 2024 (61%) than men (57%), citing a desire for better pay (39%) and better work-life balance (34%) as opposed to men (30%). Women in KSA state satisfaction in their current job as the main reason for not wanting to look for a new one (57%), while men said that their main reason is good salary and benefits (52%).

Ali Matar, EMEA Growth Markets Leader and Head of LinkedIn MENA, said: “In 2024, we are seeing UAE and KSA professionals taking agency and moving to the driver's seat when it comes to their careers. This will give rise to a more competitive job market, so standing out from other candidates will be more important than ever.

“Fortunately, we do see an appetite amongst professionals in our region to upskill and invest in building their personal profiles on LinkedIn. Highlighting how one’s skills are relevant to the job they want and staying on top of industry trends will also improve chances of finding the right opportunity.”

Whether it’s the rise in finance and tech roles or new opportunities in healthcare, the rankings shed light on where the workforce is heading and the skills needed to get ahead.

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 16,288 White collar professionals in full time or part time employment (excluding business owners and manual unskilled workers) across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, India, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil and the US.

The data was collected between November 24, 2023 to December 12, 2023. – TradeArabia News Service