Most MENA professionals have a positive outlook towards 2021: Survey

Muscat - According to a new survey, 75 per cent of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have a positive outlook for the upcoming year. Only eight per cent felt negatively, while the remaining were neutral.

Conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle Eastern job site, along with YouGov, global online market research company, to understand the challenges and aspirations of MENA professionals, the Career Aspirations survey in MENA uncovers aspects that revolve around career and personal aspirations, challenges to career growth, and general concerns about the future.

It also tackles general perceptions and attitudes professionals in the MENA region have towards jobs and the overall work environment.

Data for Bayt.com’s Career Aspirations in the MENA survey was collected online from October 11 to November 4. Results are based on a sample of 1,790 respondents from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan among other countries.

‘Ideal job’

The majority of respondents (72 per cent) agree that salary and benefits are one of the most important factors in an ideal job, along with opportunities for career growth (53 per cent) and job security (37 per cent).

The reported reasons for seeking employment in the region are marked by the desire to consistently learn and gain experience as indicated by 64 per cent of respondents. This was followed by the goals to make money (52 per cent) and to be financially independent (49 per cent).

Personal ambitions

The top personal goal for 2021 was reported to be saving more money, according to 64 per cent of the MENA respondents. Other prominent goals included more travel (40 per cent), buying property (39 per cent), exercising more (27 per cent), and meeting new people (25 per cent).