Manpower research reveals Middle East as growing destination for workers, with UAE ranking in top 10 preferred destinations worldwide

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Manpower Middle East, part of Manpower Inc., a global leader in employment services, has released today (24 June 2008)  details of its recent ‘Relocating For Work’ survey, showing the UAE as a ‘Top 10’ destination for workers across the globe. The survey, which forms part of a worldwide research paper carried out by Manpower, asked 31,574 people in 27 countries about their preferred work destination, and the UAE came in at number six.

Of workers already based in the Middle East, the UAE was the number one destination, with Qatar coming in fifth, Saudi Arabia eighth and Bahrain ninth.

“The results of this survey are great news for the region,” said Varina Nissen, Managing Director, Manpower Middle East, which has operations in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. “It means that people across the world are actively seeking employment in the Middle East, which drives the quality of talent up, providing employers with more choice of top quality candidates.

“With the level of growth in the region, the demand for workers is at an all-time high. As the region continues to develop and build a reputation as a preferred destination for workers, we are likely to see more and more people wanting to move to the Middle East for career advancement opportunities,” Nissen added.

The survey showed that 3.6% of all the respondents surveyed would be willing to relocate for a job anywhere in the Middle East region, as compared to 2.1% who would relocate for a job in  the Asia Pacific region or 0.3% who would move to Africa.

Motivations for moving jobs, for those surveyed in the Middle East, centered around increased salary levels (81.4%), better employment opportunities (79.4%) and opportunities for career advancement (80.8%).

“The challenge for employers in the Middle East now is how to retain the talent they have in their organisations,” explained Nissen. “While it is an advantage to have so many workers who are open to relocation, it also means that these workers are more likely to relocate again if another company offers higher salaries or better career opportunities. Manpower has extensive knowledge and expertise in talent retention, as well as talent attraction, so we can help employers to find the right people, and, more importantly, keep them.”

The global survey results also revealed that four in ten respondents were willing to relocate permanently for work, especially men, and that individuals with higher levels of education are more receptive to relocation. People under 30 are the age group most likely to move for work, while only 22% of over 31,000 people surveyed said they would not consider relocating at all.

“The Borderless Workforce”, which is released today and details the relocation survey results, is a Manpower White Paper, a strategic-level commentary examining the advantages and challenges of the globalization of the workforce and offering practical advice and solutions on how to manage the talent migration phenomenon. Manpower’s White Papers are routinely used by governments and think tanks to predict future trends in the employment industry. This is the first time that a White Paper has included Middle East data.

Nissen said, “Manpower has a worldwide reputation as a thought leader in the world of work, and we aim to create many more materials like this White Paper to provide governments, employers and jobseekers in the Middle East region with more knowledge, understanding and transparency in order to help them make informed decisions about policy, hiring practices or a new job.”