By Azmat Haroon
Dubai: An increasingly large number of women in the traditionally conservative Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are looking for jobs in the media, says a survey.
According to a survey conducted by Bayt.com, jobs in the education sector remain a priority for women in this region; however, the media is also attracting a large number of them.
While 26 percent of the women surveyed said they were drawn toward careers in education and academia, 24 percent said they were interested in media, and 23 percent showed interest in health care and medical services.
The “Top Industries in the Mena” survey was conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov, a research and consulting organisation.
Data for the Bayt.com Top Industries in the Mena Report 2012 was collected online from November 5 - 14, 2012, with 12,040 respondents aged 18 and above, from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. Of those who responded, 9,791 were employed at the time of the survey.
The survey also revealed that a majority of unemployed professionals in the Gulf were looking for jobs in the banking and finance sector.
Some 12 percent of unemployed professionals are seeking employment in banking and finance, while eight percent want jobs in construction, and six percent in information technology (IT).
In North African countries, nine percent sought jobs in construction, seven percent in tourism and hospitality and six percent in IT.
The government is most seen as a favourable employer in the Gulf countries, with 67 percent of the respondents seeing it as an “extremely favourable” or “slightly favourable” option. It was the least favourable in the Levant, at 53 percent.
“Government is considered to be the most favourable employer, especially in GCC countries,” said Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov. “In Lebanon, however, only 39 percent consider a public sector career to be favourable.”
In terms of best salary packages (including non-monetary benefits), 48 percent of those surveyed agreed that the oil, gas and petrochemicals sector was the best. Banking/finance followed at 24 percent and the airline industry came in third at 23 percent.
“Oil, gas and petrochemicals is traditionally a strong industry in our region, given the rich natural resources available here. With this in mind, it is not surprising that this industry ranks so highly amongst the professionals who work in it,” Suhail Masri, VP of Sales at Bayt.com, said.
The Peninsula
