Companies are calling on expats with professional skills to fill roles in major forthcoming international events in the Middle East.
Local companies lack the experience to manage the huge Expo 2020 in Dubai and the FIFA World Cup Finals 2022 in Qatar and need to bring in professional expats to boost their executive teams.
Both events are massive undertakings and are expected to draw millions of visitors to the countries.
To support them, huge spending on infrastructure projects is under way.
Dubai’s ambitions to develop a regional financial hub with an Islamic slant modelled along the lines of financial centres in Singapore and Hong Kong will also add to the demand for senior expat roles.
Cultural awareness
Recruiters in the region are drawing up hit-lists of the skills and experience they need from expat job candidates – and those with local knowledge are tipped as having a head start on their competitors.
“Companies are looking for the best talent and are not ready to compromise on skill sets and salaries,” said Jonathan Holmes, the Middle East managing director of recruiters Korn Ferry International.
“The Dubai Expo will create thousands of jobs at all levels, but the crucial posts are the senior executives to manage the project. Employers are looking across the world for the best expats to fill their posts.
“Cultural awareness is also a key factor for expats applying for roles to display.”
The demand for workers is across the board – from the work force on the ground to senior management.
However, some recruiters note that opportunities for women expats lag those of their male counterparts.
Women overlooked
“The number of women in the workforce is much lower even if they have the same or better skills and experience as their male counterparts applying for a post,” said a spokesman for recruitment firm CT Partners.
“This is disappointing, because they can do the job just as well but do not get the same chances.”
The spokesman did note that governments in the Gulf States are working to try to address this problem and open the workforce to more women.
A recent survey by LinkedIn, the social media network for business and professionals, listed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the most popular global workplace destination for expats.
The research also showed the most popular places the UAE buys in skills to top up local knowledge gaps are Britain, India, Pakistan, the USA and Saudi Arabia.
