By: Sniperhire ñ Applicant Tracking Systems, Dubai UAE.
Regional tensions are understandably high across the Middle East. Hotel occupancies are down to around 50% and the majority of airline carriers have been forced to cut back on flights due to lack of tourism and business travel.
The economies are more versatile than ever due to non-oil GDP activities having been a major governmental focus in recent years, and are being bolstered by high Oil and Gold stock prices. Never-the-less expatriate workers living in the region once again have to consider their career options carefully, and listen to foreign office advice. Many have decided they are as safe remaining in the region as anywhere, and the prudent ones have repatriated children and spouses.
The recruitment industry is being affected, with Paul Johnstone of OutConsult saying;
ìContingency based recruiting efforts are really tough right now. The drop out rate on expats considering job contracts is at an all time highî
Search assignments too are naturally proving to be more difficult than ever, often with headhunters not able to sell opportunities to the best calibre candidates. Sniperhire asked Findlay Donnan of Morgan & Banks Middle East how he is approaching candidates and gaining their interest. Donnan said;
ìOur researchers work hard to build relations with their candidates, and the type of professional attracted to this region has always been a pioneer profile. We are having to be clever right now about how we find these people, by seeking new talent pools, searching new geographic regions and building wider-reaching networks through the use of technology.î
Donnan himself has recently relocated his family to Dubai, having spent the last decade in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the recruitment industry.
Many MNCís with operations in Kuwait have withdrawn ëun-essentialí staff, and the question remains to be answered as to whether these people will return, or be replaced by local professionals. It is rumoured one of Kuwaitís largest retail houses have warned their expatriate workforce that if they leave the country, their posts will most likely be filled by Kuwaiti nationals. The HR Director said;
ìSuch policies can be seen as evidence of the annoyance regional employers have when large groups of expats leave the organisation at short notice. Having invested heavily in their recruitment and employment, we would be forced to consider such an event as an opportunity to increase our percentage of National employees. Our expatriate workforce are very well looked after, and their safety is our priority.î
On the large expats in the region are currently happy to stay in the region, and socio-political situation is deemed to be stable, although on high alert. Sniperhire recently surveyed a group of the top 100 CFOís in the GCC, with 79% responding that it was ëbusiness as usualí. The CFO of Almasa Distribution (a regional IT powerhouse), Tony Manning, commented that;
ìWe are like most companies speaking regularly to our expatriate workforce and dealing with any concerns they have. Similarly we are in touch with the government bodies for any relevant news, but apart from that we are stable and donít expect to lose any staff due to the warî
On the question of whether the region is attracting interest from overseas job seekers, the answer is definitely that it is. Through its web applications and large installed user base in the region, Sniperhire was able to determine that the regional airlines that are running global web recruitment received new applications from 71 different countries in March 2003. This figure was comparable with November 2002 (67), and the pattern is forecast to continue.
The airline industry is clearly in a global downturn, and opportunities anywhere are eagerly sought. For fair comparison Sniperhire also ran tracking reports against the applicant activities of a Bahrain based Bank. In the last quarter, Julian Phillips of Sniperhire said that his banking client;
ìHave received applications from all corners of the globe, and in February received, reviewed and processed 2700 resumes from expat banking professionals applying from outside the region.î
Source: Sniperhire visit www.sniperhire.net for more details or contact ben.fawcett@sniperhire.com on 97150 5515396
Are Expats Leaving the Gulf? Are Foreign Professionals Still Seeking Employment in the Region?
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