Monster Employment Index Middle East gains 28% year-over-year

The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.

"The Monster Employment Index Middle East shows regional employers are continuing to drive a consistent escalation in online recruitment activity. This is especially true in major economies like KSA and UAE where ongoing positive momentum is informing positive hiring trends in sectors like Healthcare, Education and Banking and Finance," said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com (India/Middle East/South East Asia).

Industry Year-over-Year Trends:

Nine of the 12 industry sectors monitored by the index saw improved recruitment levels when compared to November'10

• Healthcare (up 43%) led all industry sectors in terms of annual growth, while Education (up 40%) to the second position

• Employers maintained an upward hiring trend in BFSI (up 26%). The Index reading for the sector climbed from 115 in October to 126 in November and was among the fastest growing sectors annually

• Oil and Gas (down 4%) saw online opportunities slip below their year-ago levels

• Chemicals/ Plastic/ Rubber, Paints, Fertilizer/ Pesticides (down 18%) registered the most notable year-over-year drop among sectors in November. Hospitality (down 10 percent) is the only sector to record negative month-on-month growth.

Occupation Year-over-Year Trends:

Online demand expanded in nine of the 11 occupation groups between November'10 and November'11.

• Demand for Health Care (up 29%) professionals escalated aligning with growth observed in Healthcare sector. The group recorded the most notable longer-term growth among all occupational categories

• Online demand for Finance and Account (up 13%) professionals rebounded

• Software, Hardware, Telecom professional recorded the steepest month-on-month gain among occupation groups; up 12%. The longer-term trend pointed to stability, improving on October's slightly negative trajectory

• Sales and BD (up 26%) saw online demand contract month-on- month in November; down from 130 in October to 126 in November. This is the first month-on-month drop of the series since July

• Hospitality and Travel (down 1%) notched further gains on the month, but overall sector recruitment stood 1% lower than a year ago. This is the only group to chart an annual decline in the November Index.

Geographic Year-over-year Trends:

Online opportunities exceeded November'10 level in four of the seven countries monitored by the Index.

• KSA (up 52%) registered the most dramatic longer-term growth as employers maintained an uptrend in hiring for the fourth month in a row

• Kuwait (up 4%) recorded the most notable growth in online recruitment activity between October'11 and November'11

• Bahrain and Qatar (down 8%) recorded the most dramatic annual decline among countries.

KSA Highlights

• KSA registers 52% year-on-year growth
• Advertising, Market Research, Public Relations, Media and Entertainment continues to lead all sectors in annual growth followed by Retail/Trade and Logistics
• Marketing & Communications/Arts/Creative professionals record the most notable year-over-year gain.