Naukrigulf.com hiring outlook survey indicates improved business confidence but low salary hikes in 2013

Among the recruiters predicting a positive sentiment, 48% said that jobs will be for the 4-8 years exp bracket and about 40% said jobs will be for the 1-3 years experience levels.

However, what is the matter of concern is that about 14% employers have said there will be no hiring in the coming months and 5% said layoffs may also happen in their organisation.

Sectorally, recruiters from the Construction and Retail sector were much more optimistic about the job scenario of 2013 but Oil and Gas sector employers have revealed low sentiments with only 68% saying new jobs will be created as compared to 83% sating the same 6 months ago.

The Naukrigulf.com Hiring Outlook survey is conducted to gauge the hiring trends across sectors. This gives a clear perspective about the employment opportunities in the market and throws light on increments, job opportunities and attrition levels.

Tarun Aggarwal, Business Head, Naukrigulf.com said, "The global economic environment has made companies in the GCC region understandably cautious but the sentiment is definitely better than what it was six months ago. Industries that will attract and retain talent in the region are Construction and Retail sectors. Also, employees with right skills and experience are the ones which will get higher increments and most others may get single digit hikes or no increments."

The survey also revealed the pay hike that organizations plan to give out to their employees in 2013. About 50% recruiters predicted single digit salary hikes and 17% said that there will be no increments in 2013.

The widening gap between demand and supply for talented workers has become a major cause of worry. However, this year recruiters have said that the situation is better than last year. 55% said that they face talent crunch while hiring employees and 4-8 years still remains the most difficult experience bracket to hire. Also, hiring Arab nationals still remains the area of concern with 58% stating that they face difficulty while hiring nationals.

Methodology:
The Naukrigulf.com Hiring Outlook survey is a half-yearly survey which is sent out to the registered clients of Naukri.com. This is an e-mail survey and the results are compiled using statistical and analytical techniques.