Companies in the Middle East are feeling confident about hiring again, as the number of job postings in the second quarter of 2017 continues to increase.

Bayt.com recently announced that more than 37,000 new jobs were posted on the portal during the second quarter of the year to serve job seekers in the Middle East. The number of jobs announced during the second quarter on Bayt.com represent a 13.57 per cent increase over Q1. The jobs announced through Bayt.com are also increasingly varied in terms of industry, location, required skills and educational degree.

"Since the beginning of 2017, we have increased our focus on job delivery and our efforts to connect more job seekers in our region with more career opportunities," said Suhail Masri, vice-president of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com.

"It has always been our plan to support and grow the Middle East's job market by enhancing connections between employers and job seekers and by making the most effective tools and the most useful information readily available for everyone. We are looking forward to see how the next quarters unfold and to work with many more of the region's leading employers to continue this growth."

Masri also noted that the GCC job market has been, and continues to be, one of the healthiest and strongest job markets in the region. Since the start of 2017, Bayt.com has had over 10,000 jobs on any given day, more than 6,500 of which were based in the GCC.

In addition, the Bayt.com Middle East Job Index Survey for February 2017, showed that two thirds of employers across the GCC were planning to hire. Masri expects more opportunities to be posted in the months ahead.

Another survey by the portal on salaries in the Middle East and North Africa revealed that over a quarter of respondents claimed that there is a skills shortage in the Middle East. Employers often refer to senior positions as being the more challenging ones to fill.

"Finding particular skills may be more demanding than others," Masri said. "This is why, employers of today need to improve their talent acquisition methods. They can no longer confine themselves to limited and traditional recruiting methods."

Source: Khaleej Times