Social Media Can Help MENA Youth Find Jobs and Spark Entrepreneurship

Findings Revealed In Most Comprehensive Spotlight On Region's Social Media Trends Yet

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - March 21, 2013 - Social media can have a dramatic impact on job hunting and entrepreneurship in the MENA region, according to a ground-breaking study by Dubai School of Government's Governance and Innovation Program and SAP.

Focusing on Arab youth, the most extensive survey of its kind ever conducted found that 70 per cent of respondents believed social media can help youth find jobs. 75 per cent of viewed it as an essential channel to the virtual job market and 76 per cent hailed its networking capabilities. Furthermore, 84 per cent stated they could garner entrepreneurial skills by being social media-savvy.

Social media was also found to have a notable positive effect within the workplace. 85 per cent claimed it paved the way for more customer satisfaction, 86 per cent said it stoked inter-agency collaboration and 85 per cent described it as a powerful conduit for innovation. 78 per cent also praised social media's ability to generate more trust among the workforce.

"This ground-breaking research offers insight into new horizons for economic empowerment of the Arab youth. It is essential for policy makers and businesses to understand this emerging phenomenon and its impact on their societies and markets," said Fadi Salem, Director of the Governance and Innovation Program, DSG.

The study, which examined the effectiveness of social media in promoting social advancement, job creation and business growth across the Arab region, collated data from close to 5,000 respondents in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt and Jordan.

"SAP already knows that social media is a hugely important tool for businesses, whether it is mining data to gather market sentiment or being inspired to innovate new methods of communication," said Sam Alkharrat, Managing Director, SAP MENA.

"Up-skilling local talent is fundamental to our success in the region, and these findings vividly describe the importance of social media in attracting and retaining the brightest and best youngsters. Businesses need to be attuned to these trends and the unconnected and technologically naïve are bound to lose out."

Read the full report here: http://bit.ly/sapmena

Infographic download:

http://www.slideshare.net/SAPMENA/sap-infog-1-en

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About the Dubai School of Government
The Dubai School of Government (DSG) is a research and teaching institution focusing on public policy in the UAE and the region. Established in 2005 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, DSG aims to promote good governance through enhancing the institutional capacity for effective public policy. Toward this goal, the Dubai School of Government also collaborates with regional and global institutions in delivering its research and training programs. In addition, the School organizes policy forums and international conferences to facilitate the exchange of ideas and promote critical debate on public policy.

For more information, visit www.dsg.ae

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 232,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Media contacts
Claire McPeak, +971 4 330 1777,c.mcpeak@sap.com

Neil Jaques, Wallis Marketing Consultants, +971 4390 1950, sap@wallis-mc.com