The Gulf pips global economies to the post

Gulf businesses are beating the global trend with positive profit and revenue growth and confidence levels to match.  According to the Regus Business Confidence Index the Gulf, at 134 points, is twenty points above the global average, in contrast to the reverse in global confidence in most other countries. More Gulf businesses also report revenue (55%) and profit (45%) growth than average confirming that confidence is firmly grounded in actual results. Feeling that the downturn is behind them, 43% of Gulf businesses believe that recovery is advancing strongly in their country. In line with this overall upturn in business confidence and performance, 68% of Gulf businesses are also intending to hire more staff, with an emphasis on freelancers and graduates. 

In contrast to Gulf positivism, the Regus Business Confidence Index global average has fallen eleven points since April 2011 to 114;

The proportion of Gulf companies reporting revenue growth (55%) is four percentage points above the global average, and those reporting profit growth (45%) is three percentage points higher;

In the Gulf, 68% of companies intend to increase headcount in the next two years;

As an indicator of the changing structure of employment, hiring intentions in the Gulf show a particular emphasis on freelancers (61%) and graduates (70%) – as firms seek competitive advantage now and growth in the months to come. 

Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus comments: “The report finds that although the global outlook has suffered a clear reverse almost everywhere compared to six months ago, the Gulf beats this trend. With growing profits and revenues there is plenty of ground for confidence. In this positive climate of development it is not surprising to find that businesses are actively investing in their most valuable asset: people power. 

“In the Gulf, businesses remain cautiously buoyant, in many cases opting for freelance workers to increase headcount and therefore remaining flexible and rapidly scalable. In addition to this, by taking advantage of flexible workspace solutions already available on the market it is possible for even very small operations to establish a low-risk presence in their target markets without making lengthy premises or equipment commitments and allowing them to expand or withdraw depending on volatile market conditions.”