Arab Region Grads In Demand for Health Care, IT Fields

In an unpredictable job market, it is often hard to tell which industries will do well by graduation. Choosing the right major could be the difference between gainful employment and being woefully unemployed. But keeping an eye on in-demand industries – and where they're hot – could make the path to happy employment a little less bumpy for students in the Arab region.

The two top fields in demand across the Middle East are health care, and information technology and telecommunications, according to the March 2016 Monster Employment Index. The United Arab Emirates is the top-performing Gulf Cooperation Council market overall, with job demand strongest in the health care, education, and IT and telecom industries.

Online job ads for the health care industry have "increased 76% year to date, while demand for healthcare professionals in the UAE has also exhibited impressive growth of 66% year to date," said Sanjay Modi, a managing director of jobs website Monster, covering Asia and the Middle East, in a statement. Modi attributed this strong demand to the UAE's promotion as a medical tourism hub, where visitors can receive lower-cost access to health care.

Across the Middle East, the health care industry has experienced consistent job growth. In Saudi Arabia, the report notes considerable growth in demand in health care jobs from a year ago, which is good news for students, as the health care field is broad.

"At the time being the health care sector is considered to be one of the most stable sectors," says Palestinian Zaid Dallal, who is a recent management sciences graduate from German Jordanian University. Management sciences majors learn the skills needed to help businesses operate and solve complex problems.

Dallal, who has Saudi citizenship, works as a business administration team leader for Saudi Arabia at Siemens Healthcare in the country. "To me management sciences was a safe choice."

While according to online Middle East recruitment portal GulfTalent "healthcare and retail remain buoyant," the site notes that oil and gas and construction have seen a slowdown in recruitment. The oil and gas industry has shown the steepest decline, according to Monster.

"It used to be oil and gas and construction," says Aouni Kawas, managing partner of Kawas Consulting in Lebanon. "Nowadays, the MENA region, with the drastic oil prices falling, is witnessing a major economic, political and demographic turnaround. The shift is more into FMCG, nonprofit and retail," he says, referring to fast-moving consumer goods such as soft drinks, food and other frequently bought items sold at grocery stores.

Syrian national Khalil Bassam Al Handawi recently graduated from the Petroleum Institute Abu Dhabi with a master's, and before that a bachelor's, both in mechanical engineering. His scholarship from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. requires he work with the company for as long as he spent completing the degrees.

"In light of the current economic climate, there is always a slight chance that ADNOC may not be able to hire everyone who graduates from the Petroleum Institute," says Al Handawi. "In that case I will definitely pursue a Ph.D. degree and look for job opportunities either in the automotive industry in an R&D position or work as a research associate at one of the local or international universities upon completing my Ph.D."

Location matters when it comes to industry demand, but so does salary. The average pay raises across the Gulf are expected to be lower in 2016 than at any time over the past 10 years, despite the rising cost of living, according to GulfTalent. The highest pay raises in the region are in Saudi Arabia at 5.9 percent, followed by the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and lastly Bahrain.

"The most promising careers are in computing, energy, data science and analytics, accounting as well as consulting for students in various fields such as engineering, computing, etc.," said Eleni Papailia, director of outreach and cooperative education at Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai, via email. The school's grads work for airlines, banks and consulting companies, among others.

The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are the only Gulf markets not witnessing a decline in overall job demand, according to Monster. But while jobs may be available, preparation is still key.

Papailia says as RIT is a "career-focused university," its students must complete a cooperative education program involving practical, paid work experience and a formal career preparation course before graduation, "so our students have real experience before graduation."

Suhail Masri, vice president of employer solutions at Middle East job site Bayt.com, says professionals should anticipate that the nature of jobs in the future will vary.

For example, he says "new upcoming projects like smart cities are creating skills gaps because the skills required are new skills" not taught at most universities. He says they advise new grads to take online courses, such as a team-building course his company offers; constantly test their skills; and network with relevant industry professionals.

Masri says overall, employers have a strong demand for candidates with soft skills and says "good communication skills in Arabic and English is the most desired skill by 65 percent of companies in the MENA region." Other top skills include being a team player, having good leadership qualities, ability to work under pressure and being effective and productive.