Good times ahead for Saudi job seekers: Michael Page survey

As much as 82 percent of (or 4 out of 5) working professionals in Saudi Arabia think the future job market situation will get better in the next 6 months, reveals a survey by the global recruitment consultancy Michael Page, shared exclusively with Argaam.

The survey for Q3 2018 measured the sentiments of job applicants/career professionals around the Kingdom’s job market, based on the responses of candidates in Michael Page’s Saudi Arabia database.

Professionals are also upbeat about new job opportunities, with 73 percent of them think that less than 3 months is required to find a new job.

“Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has led to significant optimism among professionals within the real estate and construction industry. Government-led real estate projects are creating a real boom in the property and construction space. Mega-projects such as NEOM and the Red Sea Island projects have created the need to hire skilled individuals. As our survey shows, people currently in Saudi Arabia recognize that the career prospects and income levels in the Kingdom now are key drivers when they look to develop their careers over the next 5-10 years,” Tom Watson, Associate Director - Saudi Arabia, Michael Page, told Argaam.

The survey revealed the top motivations for professionals who are looking for new jobs -- with 53 per cent searching a job for a better salary, 44 percent looking to new job to develop new skills, 41 percent want a better work life balance, while 29 percent are looking for a career change.

Another interesting finding of the survey is that 60 percent of professionals believe the oil price has a neutral to extremely negative impact in their activities.

Write to Sunil Kumar Singh at sunil.kumar@argaamplus.com