What data tells us about the future of jobs in the GCC

Finding the right career next step is a constantly evolving goal for expats, who might have relocated for the sole purpose of finding better opportunities. Recently, this goal has been a challenging one among uncertainty and economic turbulence. What have been the main takeaways and learnings from the past year?

LinkedIn data provide some key trends in this direction, including LinkedIn News' recent LinkedIn Top Companies lists in the region. In this installment, we look at an overview of data points, as well as other reports that might inspire you on how to invest in honing your skills for the rest of 2021. 

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LinkedIn Top Companies Gulf trends

Last week, we debuted LinkedIn Top Companies 2021 in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the lists highlight the top companies where employees had opportunities to grow their careers and skills within an environment that fostered growth and stability despite unstable times. You can check the full lists below, and all about the LinkedIn methodology we’ve used to create them here.

Among the 30 companies that made the cut this year in the three Gulf countries, seven companies (23%) were in the finance and banking sector, five were hospitals, and five were retail, with the latter industry making 40% of the UAE’s list. 

When it comes to the job functions with the largest number of employees within companies on the lists, sales, human resources (HR), and Information Technology (IT) are the three common departments that show up the most in our data. Sales, customer service, business and data analysis, and project management were the roles that saw the biggest year over year growth within the same companies.   

Jobs rising in the UAE

Going into 2021, LinkedIn’s report Jobs on the Rise looked into the main categories attracting more talent in the UAE in direct response to changing business needs during Covid. These categories included medical professionals, marketing professionals and digital content creators, a category which hiring trend jumped by 197% during 2020 in the UAE.

Pandemic-proof? 

“Virtual” might have been the most common word of 2020 and that might be a good enough reason for career advisors to predict the longevity of digital roles as more functions move to become completely online. Or is it?

A list compiled by The National bets on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science roles to keep attracting talents as automation takes over (the kind that doesn’t replace humans) and as Gulf countries introduce more digital strategies. 

Effrosyni Parampota, career guidance and professional development expert at Qatar Career Development Centre says that “there will be a demand for jobs in the fields of learning and development, and engineers across all industries, due to an increase in digital operations and the need for cybersecurity experts to protect organizations from potential cyberattacks.” 

• LinkedIn Top Companies 2021: UAE
• LinkedIn Top Companies 2021: Saudi Arabia
• LinkedIn Top Companies 2021: Qatar
• Jobs on the Rise in the UAE

Have you adjusted your career goals for this year based on recent changes? What do you look for in a company? Share your thoughts in the comments below.