Bayt.com Reveals: 85% Of Middle East Professionals Optimistic About 2020
With the start of a new decade, a poll by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, spotlights the career goals MENA professionals are focused on this year. The poll entitled ‘New Year’s Resolutions in the Middle East and North Africa 2020’ reveals that 76% of the respondents have made resolutions for 2020 and 70% of them believe this year will bring plenty of changes in their professional and personal lives.
According to the poll, the great majority of MENA professionals (85%) feel confident about 2020. Respondents are optimistic about their ability to stick to their resolutions; almost two-thirds of those who made New Year’s resolutions in 2019 (65%) said they have achieved all or most of them.
Most MENA professionals are focused on improving aspects that have a direct impact on their professional lives – 19% want to become more productive and efficient, 17% would like to learn new skills, 6% would like to build more meaningful relationships, and 56% want to improve all of the aforementioned categories. When asked about their top career-related resolutions, 47% said they plan to find a new job, 25% said they would like to learn a new skill and 24% are aiming for a higher compensation.
“We are pleased to see so many MENA professionals aiming to improve their career prospects this year,” said Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com. ” Job seekers are on the lookout for bigger, better opportunities and are very optimistic about what 2020 will bring. Professionals are in the driver’s seat and they expect much more than salary from their workplace. Our poll shows that communication, team dynamics and support from colleagues are increasingly important factors. To attract and retain talent, employers will need to meet workers’ career expectations and provide the perks, work-life balance and career advancement opportunities they demand.”
Poll respondents highlighted the expectations they have of MENA employers – which include more training and learning resources (50%), providing more feedback and support (21%), offering more rewards and benefits (15%), and being more flexible with timing (7%).
One way to achieve professional goals at work is through an appraisal, which allows employees to discuss their performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, discover what their ambitions are, and work on how to get there. According to the poll, the great majority of MENA professional (85%) think that year-end appraisals at work are helpful.
Poll respondents also came up with resolutions for their co-workers, including improving communication and team dynamics (48%), providing more help and support to each other (20%), sharing more feedback and ideas (19%), and spending more time with each other outside of work (9%).
On the personal resolutions side, many professionals are turning an eye towards their personal finances in 2020 – the most common resolution among poll respondents is to save money (45%). Other popular personal goals are exercising and following a healthy diet (17%), taking more vacations (9%) and spending more time with friends and family (8%).
Data for the ‘New Year’s Resolutions in the Middle East and North Africa 2020’ poll was collected online from 15th December 2019 to 8th February 2020. Results are based on a sample of 4,732 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and Pakistan.
