50% of Middle Eastern companies considering staff additions in 2010

50% of Middle Eastern companies considering staff additions in 2010

PRESS RELEASE: More than half of employers prefer to source talent from online recruitment sites; the UAE remains top job destination.

April 11, 2010 1:22 by Ben Flanagan

April 11, 2010: More than half of Middle Eastern companies recently surveyed by Careertunity.com confirmed that they plan to expand their workforce in 2010. Most of them also considered online jobsites as their preferred channel for recruiting talent. UAE companies added that they were prepared to offer larger salary increases to retain key personnel and maintain their competitiveness. Salary growth is expected to average between 7 and 7.5 per cent in the Emirates and 7.9 per cent across the region this year.

Careertunity.com, a leading Dubai-based online job portal, is actively supporting major recruitment events this year to help sustain the positive outlook for the region’s job market in 2010 and the UAE’s status as a top employment destination. The company has been seen active in Career fairs at Universities such as Middlesex, UOWD etc. and it joined Dubai Career Day 2010 which took place from April 7 to 8, 2010 at the Hult International Business School in Dubai International Academic City. Just recently, Careertunity participated in Careers UAE 2010, the 10th annual careers show which was held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Careertunity.com also actively participated in Tawdheef, a major Abu Dhabi-based recruitment event held last February.

“Most of the region’s companies adjusted well to new business realities last year and are now moving to maintain and acquire top talent to enhance their competitiveness and achieve their goals. We want to help drive this trend by matching jobseekers with the numerous opportunities currently arising. We will especially focus on the UAE which has managed to retain its status as the region’s leading employment destination of choice. This is a critical period for companies to have the right talent as the quality of their workforce will significantly affect how far they will progress after the slowdown,” said Sudeshna Mukherjee, General Manager, Careertunity.

Regional online recruitment sites such as Careertunity usually receives thousands of job applications in a day. They witnessed a 25 per cent surge in applicant inquiries in 2009, with 21 per cent of employers engaging their services saying that they provided very fast results. During its participation in upcoming job fairs, Careertunity will provide companies and candidates with access to its recruitment database, process walk-in online registration and submission of resumes, and link core features of its portal such as banners and e-mailers with fair organizers.