Tue, 10 Apr 2012

Saudi Arabia was the leading Gulf nation for job creation in 2011, thanks to strong economic growth and huge government investment, finds a survey from online recruiter GulfTalent.com.

The 2012 edition of its ‘Employment and Salary Trends in the Gulf’ report shows that 62% of Saudi firms increased their headcount over the course of 2011, up from 55% the previous year.

In Oman, 56% of firms created new jobs, alongside 51% of Qatari and Kuwaiti firms – with the 2011 figure for Kuwait just half that, at 26%.

Similarly, UAE saw a huge leap – 15% of firms added jobs in 2010, and 37% in 2011.

However, Bahrain saw just 8% of firms creating new jobs, down from 23% the previous year.

The survey also shows that UAE and Qatar are the prime destinations for expats, and finds that private sector salaries across the region remained rose modestly, by between 4.5% and 6.5% in each nation covered in the survey, but salaries remain much lower than pre-recession levels.