If it’s flexible, I will do it, say jobseekers
dubai — While the majority of job seekers in the Middle East and North Africa region opt for working a full time position for a large multinational company, a large majority also want the added option to work remotely and have flexible work hours, a survey has found.
Over 85.9 per cent of Mena professionals said that they prefer to work for a company that offers flexible hours, while 79 per cent said that they prefer to work for a company that offers remote-work options, a new poll by Bayt.com found.
“As the job landscape changes in the face of employees’ evolving lifestyles and priorities, so do preferences for work arrangements in the Mena region,” said Suhail Masri, vice-president of employer solutions at Bayt.com. “We can see from the ‘Preferred Work Arrangements’ poll that today, professionals care most about elements of autonomy, such as flexible hours and room for growth; as well as financial stability factors, such as job security and suitable compensation for their contributions to the company. With insights like these, employers in the region can evaluate and adapt their employee provisions to suit the desires of their workforce, ultimately helping drive employee morale and engagement across the board.” The poll also found that 90.5 per cent of respondents agree that they mostly want to have full-time work, rather than part-time or freelance, because it offers them job security and better career growth prospects.
In addition, respondents also cited full-time positions as providing a stable source of income, and a greater ease in communicating and completing work.
However, the poll also found that many agreed that freelancing offers them the advantage of flexible hours, more independence and control over work, the ability to explore more career options, and more control over income. Data from AfterCollege suggests that 68 per cent of millennial job seekers report that an option to work remotely would greatly increase their interest in specific employers; while the Millennial Branding report found that 45 per cent of millennials will choose workplace flexibility over pay.
— rohma@khaleejtimes.com