Dubai Employment Tips

It looks like the UAE will be giving the green light to give customers the choice of telecommunications providers soon, which is great news for consumers. The days of poor customer service will be in the past, as companies will now have to compete for their clientele instead of being assigned them based on addresses. While this is just what the people have wanted, these changes are going to put significant stress on the leaders in the telecommunications sector.

Telecommunications companies are going to have to work overtime to fix the problems of the past if they want to earn and keep customers. This means a major overhaul of the customer service and marketing aspects of their businesses- great news for those seeking jobs in telecommunications in the region.

The April 2010 Job Index Survey noted that 56% of UAE employers had plans to hire in the upcoming quarters, and the majority of those openings would be in telecommunications. It is easy to see why this sector has such projected growth, as telecommunication companies will be competing for not only customers, but also top caliber talent that can help grow the business success through these drastic changes.

One would assume a vast majority of these positions will be filled by workers from areas where this sector has been highly competitive for some time, such as Europe and America. At the very least, UAE’s telecommunications companies can learn a thing or two about how to, and how not to, provide top notch service from looking at companies from these areas.

Any staffing or human resource professional that keeps an eye on Dubai’s labor market has to see the unlimited potential this area provides. When companies like Manpower and Robert Half flock to establish a presence in an area, big things are happening. The recent economic climate has made the media portray Dubai in a negative light, which has caused less people from Europe and North America to seek employment there than in the past.

In past years the majority of recruiting efforts in Dubai were focused on overseas candidates. However, the current job market is leaning in a different direction. The high cost of relocation and recruiting agency fees for bringing workers from abroad has local companies pushing to hire more people that currently live in the market. When you couple this with the risk involved in relocating and the money lost if the employee chooses to return home, its understandable why local companies want to hire from the local workforce.

This creates a unique opportunity for recruiters and human resource professionals. Dubai’s old approach to recruiting just is not going to cut it any longer. Companies of all sizes will be looking for recruiters and human resource professionals that can deliver quality candidates with all of the extra expense.

So while the companies may not want to pay to relocate employees to fill the vast number of vacant positions that the Job Index forecasts, a great opportunity is presented for recruiters and human resource professionals. Those from North America and Europe should consider getting on board now before the big push to recruit locally begins.

Attendees at the IAA World Congress in Dubai all heard a common theme being spoken about, discussed and debated. The clients of marketing agencies want a change from traditional means of advertising. They want more than just ads and commercials. What they want is a total communications service instead of an advertising agency.

This is wonderful news for the fledgling Public Relations industry, which is barely ten years old. Public Relations companies have been trying to set themselves apart from the advertising companies, and now is their chance to shine.

The biggest obstacle that Public Relations firms are finding blocking their path to success is a recruiting crisis. The vast majority of Public Relations companies are citing they are inundated with requests for pitches and are accepting as many new jobs as they are able, but lack of staffing prohibits them from keeping up with the growth.

While nearly all other sectors in Dubai have seen slow job growth at best, the push for marketing and public relations has caused growth in these sectors. Companies are looking to the future and repairing damage caused by the recent economic challenges. Establishing a strong reputation and brand recognition seems to be the focus of most executives as they look to 2011.

A common frustration for many executives is attempting to do business with PR firms located on the other side of the globe. These companies want local representation, and the local companies need to hire to keep up with the demand. This provides an excellent outlook for those considering seeking for work in this sector in Dubai.

Many professionals may be tempted to gloss over job listings for executives seeking a Personal Assistant in Dubai. The Americanized ideals of a Personal Assistant being someone that simply picks up dry cleaning and manages the personal affairs of the wealthy is far from the true picture of what a Personal Assistant does in Dubai.

Personal Assistants generally work in a professional setting, offering human resources support, business administration assistance and managing general office duties. When you consider the vast amount of professional executives working in Dubai, the need and demand for quality and professional personal assistants is understandable.

A Personal Assistant position is an excellent opportunity for someone that is looking to break into the Dubai job market. A recent survey conducted by Robert Half International showed that more companies in Dubai are hiring from within the borders instead of looking overseas. The reason for this is due largely to the high cost and risk factors of recruiting from Europe and the United States.

This is grim news for a large number of people that are seeking employment opportunities in many of Dubai’s sectors. However, many of the executives looking for Personal Assistants prefer, and are more than willing, to hire from the foreign countries from which they originated from. The misunderstanding of what a Personal Assistant is responsible for helps keep the competition at a minimum, so works to the favor of those in the know. Instead of seeking a job listed by sector, hunting through the Personal Assistant openings may uncover a hidden position that calls on your sector’s knowledge and skills.

While many sectors are complaining of slumping sales while looking forward to the end of the recession, the medical sector has been spared the brunt of the challenges. David Hadley, CEO of Emirates Healthcare Limited and Medi-Clinic Middle East recently discussed the growth of the two hospitals and five clinics in Dubai he is responsible for. Compared to last year’s numbers, profits are up 37%.

This may be good news for those seeking work in medical and health related fields. Several hospitals were planned for Dubai but progress came to halt when the economy was shaken over the last year. The lack of competition obviously played a big part in Emirates Healthcare Limited’s City Hospital breaking even on its multi-million dollar construction in less than twelve months.

Some experts think that the rapid success of Emirates Healthcare Limited will encourage the construction of the stalled medical facility’s construction to resume. While this may not be great news for David Hadley, who is confident in his lack of competition, if it comes to fruition it will be excellent for employment in the healthcare sector.

The expected projections are that the healthcare market throughout the Gulf will grow five times by 2025. Experts are estimating government spending of $15-$17 billion. One question that some are puzzled by is where will the medical professionals come from? While the hiring is still slow in Dubai for doctors and nurses, it looks very promising that we will see a huge change in job growth over the next few years.

A recent survey of Human Resource executives, headhunters and recruiters that was conducted by Pink Slip Dubai and Insight Discovery showed that over two-thirds of these industry experts believe that the job market is on an upswing. Nearly all noted that sector that will be seeing the most growth is sales and marketing. Some of those surveyed cited growth in hiring numbers of up to 20% compared to 2009.

This is surprising, considering job growth over all sectors has slowed to a crawl in light of recent economic woes.  One possible reason for the continued growth is that companies in Dubai are thinking ahead, and working out plans for post-recession marketing. If this theory holds true, then confidence in the market is returning.

In October, one of the world’s most impressive strategic marketers, Professor Philip Kotler, will be speaking at the “What Next in Marketing 2011?” summit. TECOM Investments’ Media Cluster is sponsoring the convention, which will take place at the Atlantis Hotel in Palm Jumeirah. Professor Kotler will be debuting his new theory, Marketing 3.0, which focuses on marketing after the recession.

It is expected that marketing and sales executives and students from around the world will be attending this once in a lifetime chance to be on the ground floor of Professor Kotler’s theory.  It goes without reason to say that anyone who is hoping to find a position in the Dubai sales and marketing sector will be attending to take advantage of the immense networking opportunities in hopes of securing employment.