This year will see the creation of more jobs and some significant wage increases fueled by Qatar’s construction boom, two new reports by recruitment firms have concluded.
The reports, by GulfTalent and Bayt.com, both state that the majority of companies in Qatar plan to open up new positions this year.
The two companies’ assessments come amid a rapid increase in the country’s cost of living, with Qatar’s Consumer Price Index going up 2.7 percentage points between February 2013 and February 2014, driven by rising rents.
Bayt.com reports that 63 percent of companies plan to create up to 10 new job openings in the next three months, but adds that the majority of these new roles will be targeted at recent graduates.
GulfTalent’s survey, meanwhile, reports that 75 percent of companies in Qatar will create jobs this year.
Pay rise
According to its results, private sector salaries in Qatar are expected to rise on average by 6.7 percent year-on-year – the third highest increase in the GCC, behind Saudi Arabia at 6.8 percent, and Oman at 8 percent.
Earlier this year, a Dubai-based firm forecast an even more optimistic outlook, saying wages here are expected to rise 8 percent as Qatar ramps up its preparations for the 2022 World Cup.
This is in part because the country is facing even more pressure to offer attractive benefit packages to skilled workers, who may be wooed by opportunities elsewhere – including Dubai, which is launching into a fresh building boom to prepare for the 2020 World Expo, Cost of Living Reports Middle East said.
Speaking to Doha News at the time, researcher Engy Ziedan said that wage increases would likely be the largest for skilled workers, but are also expected to grow for mid-level earners. This would mean more expats could meet the minimum salary requirements to sponsor their dependents, she added.
Survey breakdown
According to Bayt.com’s results, companies here are actively seeking applicants with backgrounds in business management, commerce, administration, computer science and engineering.
Some 42 percent of firms said they plan to hire “junior executives” this year – which typically means recent college graduates. About a third (32 percent) of companies surveyed said they would bring on coordinators, and about a quarter (26 percent) are seeking to hire executives.
The survey added that in terms of specific job titles, 18 percent of companies in Qatar will recruit new receptionists, with a further 15 percent seeking new secretaries.
Engineers will also apparently be in demand, with 14 percent of employers seeking to fill new posts in this sector over the coming months.
Meanwhile, GulfTalent says that Qatar’s companies are the most keen to recruit new employees in the region, driven by the country’s major infrastructure projects.
It also identified key growth sectors, pointing to healthcare as the major recruiter in the region, backed by significant investment by regional governments over the past year, and the growth of compulsory health insurance schemes.
Thoughts?
