Over 8 in 10 professionals (81%) in the GCC have a positive outlook for the upcoming year, according to a new survey carried out by Bayt.com, a leading job site in the Middle East, with online market research company YouGuv.

The survey entitled ‘Career Aspirations in the Mena’ has revealed that in the GCC, 66% reported setting future professional goals for themselves, which included finding a new job (59%), learning new skills (50%) and getting a higher salary (49%).

With career development in mind, around two-thirds of respondents (63%) believe they deserve to work in a higher-level position, and almost half the respondents (47%) are willing to move to another department or area of expertise to develop their skillsets and further their professional careers.

In addition, 45% of GCC respondents state they are willing to move into a different industry altogether to broaden their professional expertise.

The top three factors that were seen as important in an ideal job for GCC professionals were salary and benefits (76%), opportunities for career growth (50%) and job security (38%).

Interestingly, respondents are much more likely to prefer being an employee (48%) rather than owning a business (29%).
The reported reasons for seeking employment in the GCC are marked by the desire to consistently learn and gain experience, as indicated by 65% of respondents. This was followed by making money (55%), being financially independent (48%), and feeling useful to society (41%).

Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: “It is exciting to observe that the majority of respondents to the Career Aspirations survey are optimistic about the coming year. This encouraging outlook will reflect positively on the region’s hiring activity and the individual career progression. Bayt.com works with employers across the GCC region who rely on our technologies and data to master their talent management practices – and knowledge of employee aspirations and satisfaction will help enhance the hiring and job seeking processes even more.”

Motivation levels at work

When it came to motivation levels in the workplace, nearly 6in 10 respondents (58%) reported feeling motivated at work. Only 18% reported not being motivated, while the remainder were neutral.

Possibly connected to motivation at work, the prevalence of mentors and role models featured highly in the findings, with over 4 in 10 respondents (43%) reporting that they have either a mentor or role model in their careers.

Though respondents revealed a positive indication of their motivation in the workplace, 59% reported that higher salaries and perks/benefits would increase motivation at work; this is followed by better work-life balance (46%) and an opportunity to express creativity/ showcase skills (43%).

Future personal ambitions

Overwhelmingly, the top personal goal for next year was reported to be saving more money, according to 7 in 10 respondents (70%). Other prominent goals included buying property (46%), spending more time with family (32%) and exercising more (27%).

Furthermore, 41% of respondents preferred to retire after the age of 60 and 18% chose retirement before 50, indicating that more professionals desire to stay in the workforce for a longer period of time.

“The Career Aspirations survey aims to better understand the challenges and aspirations of Mena professionals. It covers aspects such as perceptions and attitudes towards current job, career aspirations, barriers to career growth, in addition to overall work environment and personal aspirations and concerns,” said Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov.- TradeArabia News Service