Most in-demand and slow-growing jobs in UAE right now

Latest data show which jobs are best to apply for in UAE today, and ones to avoid.

Dubai: With many companies still slow about hiring, the odds may continue to be not in jobseekers’ favour these days. The number of employment openings across the UAE remains low compared to the previous peak periods, according to the latest analysis, but certain professions are still in demand.

Recruitment tracker Monster.com has recently browsed thousands of vacancy listings from July to September this year and pegged some occupations or skills that have risen or fallen in demand.

Among the jobs that are seeing an increase in hiring are those in the marketing field. This is mainly due to a growing trend of companies looking to hire competent individuals, to cash in on a major consumer spending boom in the UAE.

According to Monster.com, there has been an “impressive surge” in the recruitment of marketing professionals in the country.

“An increase in consumer spending unsurprisingly feeds into the need to understand the nature of demand; what are people buying? What are their shopping habits? The marketing industry is therefore beginning to benefit from the continued growth of the consumer goods sector,” said  Sanjay Modi, managing director of Monster.com Asia Pacific and Middle East

Here’s a quick look at the professions that are sought after right now and how much they pay monthly – and the ones that are seeing a slowdown in hiring.

An important note to keep in mind, however, is that the succeeding salaries, provided by recruitment specialists Hays, are for illustration purposes only. Actual compensation may vary, depending on company size and employee qualifications/ experience.

Marketing 

Percentage of increase in job listings: 28%
Average monthly salaries of select jobs
Head of marketing/ marketing director: Dh50,000
Marketing manager: Dh22,000
Brand manager:  Dh20,000
Event manager: Dh15,000
Marketing executive: Dh12,500

Communications

Percentage of increase in job listings: 28%
Average salaries* of select jobs
Head of communications: Dh42,000
Public relations manager: Dh32,000
Social media executive: Dh12,000

Software (including hardware and telecom)

Percentage of increase in job listings: 16 per cent
Average salaries* of select jobs
Software development manager: Dh34,000
Software developer/engineer: Dh13,500

Engineering and production

Percentage of increase in job listings: Zero
Average salaries* of select jobs
Senior resident engineer: Dh55,000
Senior project manager: Dh49,000
Resident engineer: Dh36,000
Engineering manager: Dh30,000
Senior planning engineer: Dh29,000
Structural engineer: Dh16,000
Site engineer: Dh10,000
Mechanical engineer: Dh9,500
Assistant/junior engineer: Dh6,000
Electrical engineer: Dh5,000
Civil engineer: Dh4,500

Sales and business development

Percentage of increase/decrease in job listings: -28%
Average salaries* of select jobs
Sales director: Dh60,000
Head of business development: Dh40,000
Head of sales: Dh40,000
Senior sales manager: Dh40,000
Sales manager: Dh30,000
Business development manager: Dh30,000
Business development consultant: Dh15,000
Sales support/executive: Dh12,500

Human resources and administration

Percentage of increase/decrease in job listings: - 22 per cent
Average salaries* of select jobs
Compensation and benefits manager: Dh40,000
Learning and development manager: Dh27,500
HR manager: Dh30,000
Senior recruiter: Dh17,000
Learning and development assistant: Dh14,500
HR officer/ coordinator: Dh12,000
Recruiter: Dh10,000

*Salary figures are in dirhams and include bonuses, allowances and other benefits