THE YEMENI ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM

TREPONOMICS
ETHICS | ESQUIRE GUY | SKILLSET | MARKETING | PRO
l positions –
junior to mid-level recruits, with
ills they regard as most
The struggle is
real
The Middle East has a skills
gap crisis By Lama Ataya
75%
Personality & Demeanor
Putting things in context
55%
The MENA region suffers from the
84%
Creative Thinking
highest youth unemployment rate in
58%
the world. As reported by the ILO,
81%
Efficiency
59%
the 2014 youth unemployment rate
Adaptability/Managing Multiple Priorities
76%
was 28.2% in the Middle East and
59%
30.5% in North Africa, the highest in
Technical Skills
74%
the world and more than double the
53%
global average of 13%.
67%
Relevant Industry Experience
52%
In a survey published in 2014,
67%
Middle East millennials were asked
Local Work Experience
50%
about their priorities in life. The
63%
Regional Work Experience
overwhelming response was what
53%
you would expect from young people
70%
Planning/Organisational Skills
58%
anywhere in the world: they want
ct candidate
75%
good health, financial stability and a
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
61%
successful career. Unfortunately, the
the recruitment difficulties exith
‘weak recruitment
s’ lack of interest in developing Main reasons why companies have difficulties in finding the perfect candidate
g to note,
36 Entrepreneur
that compared
june
to the
2016
riers to recruitment.
Looking beyond skill sets, employers’ feedback suggests they perceive the recruitment difficulties ex-
As illustrated below, most job gap, seekers CEOs are the looking world for over mid-career have cited or junior positions (7
for senior positions). Among respondents, those in Lebanon (41%), Egypt (38%) and Ku
most likely to be looking for senior opportunities.
+29+71+30+70+26+74+37
+63 similar concerns. There
+33+67+27+73+33+67+41
+59 is genuine
worry across most industries
+31+69+24
that if
+76+38 +62
the skills gap is not closed, or at Senior least Position Mid-
+16+84
reduced, the ability to grow and to
innovate will be severely constrained.
According to the just-released
71% 70% 74% 63% 67% 73% 67% 59% 69% 76% 62% 8
Bayt.com 2016 Middle East Skills Gap
Survey, employers across the Middle
For an economy to advance, it needs human talent. And East are experiencing difficulty filling
for those economies rapidly expanding and seeking to
open positions as they struggle to
find candidates with the required
diversify into a broader spread of sectors, the problem skillsets, especially for senior positions.
33% ‘Soft 27% skills’ 33% are 41% regarded 31% as 24% 38%
of sourcing enough talent with the necessary 29% skills 30% is 26% a 37%
most lacking in prospective employees,
Qatar while Bahrain ‘technical Oman Lebanon skills’ are Syriaoften
Jordan Egypt Mo
pressing one. For years, employers in the Middle East
Total Saudi UAE Kuwait
have reported a sizable gap between the talent they need Arabiato
seen as posing the least challenge.
keep their companies growing and the talent they can actually
According to the same survey, soft
skills, such as ‘creative thinking’
find. This gap between the demand and supply The of talent job seekers is surveyed in this (63%) report and are mostly ‘critical looking thinking’ for Executive (63%), positions acro
seniority levels (31% are looking for Executive positions; 30% are looking for Senior Exe
called a skills gap. The skills gap is a universal problem that
were seen as the most difficult skills
and 30% are looking for Junior Executive positions). Conversely, a smaller proportion a
to find at a senior level.
impacts nearly every industry, job and employer. more Such senior an positions (26% are looking for Manager positions and 14% are looking for D
Most important skills when looking to recruit mid- to junior-level positions –
imbalance
Employer’s
can
perspective
be crippling to economic progress; it puts strain
on governments, and leaves millions unemployed.
Career levels most in demand by job
Career levels most in demand by job seekers – MENA overview:
Consistently, the study’s results also highlighted a marked ‘skill gap’ for junior to mid-level seekers recruits, (MENA overview) with
employers having difficulty in finding more junior candidates with the skills they regard as most
important, namely:
’ to find)
Executive
it as ‘difficult’ to find)
Most important skills • when Efficiency looking (81% to recruit rated it mid- as ‘important’ to junior-level and positions 59% rated it as ‘difficult’ to find) Senior Executive
ted it as ‘difficult’ to find)
(Employer’s perspective) • Communication skills (80% rated it as ‘important’ and 53% rated it as ‘difficult’ to find)
Junior Executive
• Collaboration/teamwork (80% rated it as ‘important’ and 55% rated it as ‘difficult’ to find)
Coordinator
Importance of the Skill
Difficulty in Finding the
Skill in Junior to
Mid-Level Candidates
Communication Skills
Negotiation Skills
Collaboration/ Teamwork
Ability to Work Under Pressure
+80+68+80+79+75+73+81+76+74+67+67+63+70+75 +53+56+55+58+55+62+59+59+53+52+50+53+58+61+
80%
53%
68%
56%
80%
55%
79%
58%
It is not just the Middle East region
that faces this ever-widening skills
Manager
Importance of the Skill
Difficulty in Finding
Analyst
the
Skill in Junior to
Director
Mid-Level Candidates
+31+30+30+30+26+18+14
31%
30%
30%
30%
26%
18%
14%
graphs © bayt.com