Despite a decline in job postings for remote working or work-from-home, thousands of vacancies are listed in the UAE and the Gulf on different job portals and channels across diverse sectors for job-seekers.

Data revealed that some of the popular jobs that are available for people looking to work from home are call centre representative, marketing specialist, sales executive, business development manager, finance officer and others.

In the post-Covid period, employers and managers are increasingly insisting employees return to office as restrictions have been eased. But a majority of employees prefer a hybrid work model. In case firms don't offer this opportunity, they tend to move on and join more flexible companies.

Research conducted by LinkedIn this year has found that 77 per cent of professionals in the UAE are considering a job switch this year, with the lack of remote work options being one of the top ten reasons for their departure.

According to LinkedIn, the share of remote job postings in the UAE sits at 4.3 per cent as of February 2023, a significant dip of 22.8 per cent from January and an even greater decline of over 50 per cent compared to the same month last year.

While Bayt.com has around 1,500 work-from-home jobs posted on the portal, with 600-plus positions available in the GCC and over 300 in the UAE. The figures are subject to change on a daily basis.

“The share of remote job postings has been declining in the UAE, as managers call their teams back into the office in the face of the prevailing uncertainty to prove higher business revenues,” said Najat Abdelhadi, head of communications and career expert, LinkedIn Mena.

She advised that if employers are looking to retain their best talent, who will help them stay on top and navigate the fast-changing business landscape, they need to carefully consider what their workforce wants, and that includes flexibility.

Work-from-home job options

Ola Haddad, director of human resources at Bayt.com, added that the website has a wide range of work-from-home openings for job seekers in the UAE, with employers actively seeking candidates for various roles. Some of the most commonly advertised titles include call centre representative, marketing specialist, sales executive, business development manager, and finance officer among others.

According to LinkedIn, Najat the top five sectors in UAE with the highest share of remote job postings as of February 2023 are technology, information and media, followed by professional services, wholesale, consumer services, and interestingly oil, gas and mining.

Skills in demand for WFH

“Recruiters are on the lookout for candidates with the right skills to match their rapidly evolving strategies. It's no longer enough to have a university degree or a few years of experience under your belt. To stand out from the crowd, you need to have the right skills that help drive greater productivity and growth for the business,” said Najat Abdelhadi.

“Skills have, in fact, become so significant that the required skills across sectors have changed by 27 per cent on average in the UAE from 2015 to 2022. And with the Covid-19 pandemic shaking up the job market, the pace of change has only accelerated. That's why job seekers need to stay on top of the latest skills needed for their jobs,” Abdelhadi added.

 

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