YouGov & Bayt.com Career Aspirations · Key findings (1/3) Overall, respondents are much more likely to prefer being an employee (54%) than owning one’sbusiness (26%). Over 1 in

YouGov & Bayt.comCareer Aspirations

December 2018

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Section 1

Objective

To understand the challenges and aspirations of MENA professionals. The study covers aspects

such as perceptions and attitudes towards current job, career aspirations, barriers to career

growth, overall work environment and personal aspirations and concerns.

Key findings (1/3)

Overall, respondents are much more likely to prefer being an employee (54%) than owning one’s business

(26%). Over 1 in 10 of working respondents currently work in other private sectors (14%) and construction

industry (11%).

The two factors that were seen as important in an ideal job were salary & benefits (71%), and opportunities

for career growth (42%).

Overall, respondents had an “average” level of job satisfaction with the mean score across all categories

being 3.2 out of a 5-point scale (1= Very poor, 5 = Excellent). Organizational reputation was ranked quite

high, whereas opportunities for career growth and fair evaluation were the main pain points, with around a

third of respondents showing satisfaction with respect to these areas.

3 in 5 respondents (61%) reported setting professional goals for themselves, which included finding a new

job (57%), learning new skills (49%) and getting a higher salary (46%).

Overall, over a third of all respondents (33%) agreed that their current job is the perfect job for them while

half of the respondents (50%) were satisfied with their professional growth over the past year.

Over half of the respondents (55%) reported having either a mentor or role model in their careers.

Key findings (2/3)

Overall, two-thirds of respondents (64%) reported feeling motivated at work while 63% of respondents

reported that higher salaries and perks/benefits would increase motivation at work.

The top two barriers to professional growth were a lack of growth opportunities (49%) and poor

management within the company (44%). A third of the respondents (30%) also reported favoritism in the

workplace as a barrier, and just less than a quarter reported poor labor laws (23%), a disconnect between

educational qualification and current job (22%) and lack of training (21%) as barriers to professional growth.

Interestingly, 70% reported seeking employment to learn and gain experience, whereas making money was

ranked second, with three-fifths of respondents (61%) stating it as a key factor. Over two-fifths of

respondents reported feeling useful to society (49%) and financial independence (43%) as reasons for seeking

employment.

Over a third of respondents (35%) reported not being able to save any of their income over the past year,

whereas one quarter of respondents (24%) reported saving less than 10% of their annual income, and a

quarter (25%) reported saving 11-30% of their annual income.

Nearly half the respondents are observed to be getting along better with their colleagues (48%) as opposed

to a third who claim to always get along with their Manager (31%). We have less than a fifth (13%) who claim

to not get along with their managers most of the time.

Key findings (3/3)

Nearly half of respondents (49%) reported being satisfied with their current work environment, one third

(27%) were neutral, and a quarter (24%) were not satisfied.

Three-quarters of all respondents (74%) would consider relocating to another country for employment

purposes with the top 3 countries chosen for relocation purposes were UAE (22%), Qatar (17%) and Canada

(12%).

45% preferred to retire after the age of 60. Interestingly, less than a fifth of respondents (14%) chose

retirement before 50, indicating a desire to stay in the workforce for a shorter period.

61% of respondents worry about financial issues in their daily lives, while nearly two-fifths worry about

unemployment/loss of job (38%) and 27% are concerned about their health.

Overwhelmingly, the top personal goal for 2019 was reported to be saving more money, with two-thirds of

respondents (65%) reporting so. Other goals included travel (42%), buying property (39%) and exercising

more (30%).

Respondents were very positive about what 2019 has to bring, with 76% respondents report a positive

outlook towards the upcoming year. More respondents in the GCC (81%) were positive about 2019,

compared to Levant (68%) & North Africa (72%).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Section 2

Sample Definition

Age and Gender:

Adult males and females

Aged 18+ years

Country of Residence

GCC: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain

Levant: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan

North Africa: Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia

Data Collection

All data was collected online. Fieldwork was done between 22nd November to 25th December

2018. The total number of respondents achieved was 3128.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Section 3

Employment versus owning business

D10. Would you rather be an employee or have your own business?

54%

26%

20%

I'd rather be an employee

I'd rather have my own business

Don't know/ Can't say

Base: All respondents (3128)

• Overall, respondents are much more likely to prefer being an employee (54%) than owning one’s business (26%).

• Close to one-third of all respondents in Levant (31%) preferred having their own business, versus around a quarter in North Africa (27%) and GCC (24%).

Employment versus owning business

D10. Would you rather be an employee or have your own business?

GCC Levant North Africa

GCC Total Bahrain KuwaitSaudi Arabia

Oman Qatar UAELevantTotal

Jordan Lebanon SyriaN. Africa

TotalAlgeria Egypt Morocco Tunisia

Base: All respondents

1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

I’d rather be an employee

56% 63% 59% 54% 54% 58% 61% 47% 49% 45% 48% 52% 57% 47% 54% 58%

I’d rather have my own business

24% 21% 25% 24% 26% 20% 24% 31% 30% 31% 33% 27% 20% 36% 19% 23%

Don’t know/ Can’t say 20% 17% 16% 22% 19% 21% 15% 22% 21% 23% 19% 21% 22% 17% 28% 20%

Current and preferred industries

Q1. Which industry do you currently work in?Q2. Given the choice, which ONE of the following industries would you want to work in?

14%

11%

8%

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

Other private sector

Construction

Education/ Academia

Other public sector

Retail

Medical/ Health Services

Banking/ Finance

Advertising/ Marketing/ Public Relations

Tourism/ Hospitality

Top Industries Currently Worked In

8%

7%

7%

7%

7%

5%

5%

5%

Education/ Academia

Construction

Advertising/ Marketing/ Public Relations

Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals

Banking/ Finance

IT

Other private sector

Automotive

Preferred Industries

• Over 1 in 10 of working respondents currently work in other private sectors (14%) and construction industry (11%). Perhaps unsurprisingly, significantly more respondents in the GCC region (16%) than those in Levant (6%) and North Africa (9%) reported working in construction.

Base: Working respondents (1587) Base: All respondents (3128)

Current and preferred industries


GCCTotal

Bahrain KuwaitSaudi Arabia




Top Industries Currently Worked In

Base: All respondents 1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

Other private sector 15% 13% 14% 19% 10% 12% 11% 15% 18% 17% 7% 16% 12% 16% 18% 18%Construction 16% 19% 10% 12% 8% 33% 16% 6% 4% 11% 4% 9% 5% 13% 7% -

Education/ Academia 4% 13% 4% 3% 8% 3% 1% 12% 13% 6% 17% 10% 17% 6% 7% 12%Other public sector 3% - 3% 2% 3% 4% 4% 4% 4% - 9% 7% 14% 6% 4% 4%

Retail 7% 13% 12% 5% 5% 10% 4% 5% 1% 14% - 4% 1% 5% 3% 5%Medical/ Health

Services5% - 3% 7% 10% 4% 3% 5% 6% 5% 4% 5% 4% 6% 1% 7%

Banking/ Finance 5% 6% 7% 5% 3% 3% 7% 7% 9% 5% 7% 3% 3% 4% 3% 1%Advertising/

Marketing/ Public Relations

5% - 4% 6% 5% 1% 7% 6% 6% 3% 9% 5% 2% 5% 5% 5%

Tourism/ Hospitality 5% 6% 8% 2% 5% 5% 7% 8% 6% 15% - 4% 1% 5% 7% 5%

Preferred Industries


Education/ Academia 7% - 3% 8% 10% 7% 4% 13% 15% 9% 15% 6% 9% 3% 6% 11%Construction 8% 17% 10% 4% 4% 20% 11% 9% 5% 13% 8% 6% 4% 10% 2% 1%Advertising/

Marketing/ Public Relations

8% 4% 11% 8% 4% 7% 4% 5% 5% 4% 5% 8% 8% 8% 7% 6%

Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals

6% - 11% 4% 16% 2% 7% 4% 2% 2% 9% 8% 11% 12% 3% 5%

Banking/ Finance 7% 4% 14% 8% 3% 4% 6% 7% 10% 5% 1% 6% 3% 8% 4% 9%IT 4% 4% 4% 4% 1% 6% 4% 6% 7% 5% 6% 5% 3% 7% 3% 5%

Other private sector 5% 8% 6% 6% 3% 6% 4% 5% 7% 4% 4% 5% 5% 5% 5% 3%Automotive 5% 4% 3% 5% 9% 5% 4% 3% 3% 2% 3% 6% 3% 4% 12% 7%

Q1. Which industry do you currently work in?Q2. Given the choice, which ONE of the following industries would you want to work in?

Ideal job

Q3a. When selecting your IDEAL JOB, which three factors would be most important to you? (Select only THREE from those listed below)

71%

42%

29%

29%

26%

21%

18%

16%

11%

11%

10%

6%

Salary and benefits

Opportunities for career growth

Job security

Work-life balance

Feeling of accomplishment

Reputable organization

Challenging work

Fair evaluation

Flexible work timings

Location of company / office

Set number of working hours

Manageable workload

• The two factors that were seen as important in an ideal job were salary & benefits (71%), and opportunities for career growth(42%).

• Interestingly, respondents in North Africa placed greater emphasis on work-life balance (37%) versus those in the GCC (23%) and Levant (24%). GCC respondents placed more importance on opportunities for career growth (50%) in comparison to those in Levant (45%) and North Africa (35%).


Ideal job

Q3a. When selecting your IDEAL JOB, which three factors would be most important to you? (Select only THREE from those listed below)






Base: All respondents

1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

Salary and benefits 77% 58% 81% 76% 68% 82% 80% 72% 74% 73% 67% 66% 65% 78% 50% 58%


50% 58% 58% 41% 44% 61% 66% 45% 47% 45% 43% 35% 24% 48% 28% 31%

Job security 39% 54% 30% 43% 26% 36% 32% 29% 40% 23% 14% 22% 23% 16% 31% 19%

Work-life balance 23% 13% 24% 22% 29% 20% 26% 24% 20% 29% 22% 37% 41% 29% 44% 40%


19% 21% 14% 23% 25% 12% 12% 29% 30% 21% 42% 29% 38% 20% 31% 39%


18% 25% 20% 17% 22% 19% 15% 20% 15% 21% 28% 21% 23% 25% 13% 21%

Challenging work 16% 38% 20% 10% 19% 22% 23% 16% 13% 20% 16% 19% 19% 18% 21% 22%

Fair evaluation 13% 4% 14% 14% 13% 8% 12% 17% 15% 15% 28% 17% 17% 23% 10% 15%

Flexible work timings 12% 8% 10% 13% 12% 10% 17% 13% 15% 9% 13% 10% 9% 11% 10% 8%

Location of company / office

11% 4% 10% 13% 13% 8% 7% 10% 8% 15% 8% 12% 14% 13% 9% 9%


9% 4% 9% 12% 6% 4% 4% 7% 8% 7% 6% 14% 11% 10% 26% 9%

Manageable workload 6% 8% 2% 5% 6% 9% 6% 5% 3% 8% 6% 7% 6% 4% 10% 14%

Current job satisfaction

Q3b. Thinking about your current job, how would you rate it on the following factors?

10%

14%

11%

3%

6%

13%

11%

9%

8%

7%

11%

17%

26%

17%

6%

11%

20%

14%

14%

15%

13%

17%

42%

32%

30%

30%

35%

34%

33%

30%

30%

34%

33%

22%

20%

28%

37%

33%

25%

29%

32%

28%

28%

26%

8%

8%

14%

23%

15%

9%

13%

15%

19%

17%

13%

Salary and benefits


Job security


Manageable workload

Fair evaluation

Flexible work timings



Challenging work

Work-life balance

Very poor Poor Average Good Excellent

• Overall, respondents had an “average” level of job satisfaction with the mean score across all categories being 3.2 out of a 5-point scale (1= Very poor, 5 = Excellent).

• Organizational reputation was ranked quite high, whereas opportunities for career growth and fair evaluation were the main pain points, with around a third of respondents showing satisfaction with respect to these areas.

Top 2 boxes

Base: Working respondents (1587)

31%

28%

42%

60%

48%

33%

42%

47%

47%

46%

39%

Current job/career situation

Q4a. Thinking about your current job and career in general, which of the following applies to you? Select all that apply.

67%

52%

45%

30%

29%

20%

12%

I feel that I deserve to work in a higher level position

I am prepared to move to another area of expertise or department to further mycareer

I am prepared to move to another industry to further my career

I see my current job as a training ground for a career move to anotherorganization

I feel I have achieved all I wanted to achieve in this organization and need to moveto another organization

I see my current job as a training ground to progress to a career within theorganization

I feel I have achieved all I wanted to achieve in my career till now

• Around two-thirds of respondents (67%) believed they deserve to work in a higher level position, and over half of all respondents (52%) were willing to move to another department/area of expertise to further their careers. Furthermore, two-fifths (45%) of all respondents were willing to move to a different industry altogether.

• Almost one third of respondents (29%) believed they had achieved all they could in their current organization, and were looking for a change, and almost the same proportion saw their current job as a training ground for their next move. Results were similar across the GCC, Levant & North Africa regions.


Current job/career situation







593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

I feel that I deserve to work in a higher level

position66% 69% 64% 67% 75% 65% 65% 64% 67% 61% 63% 68% 64% 69% 74% 64%

I am prepared to move to another area of

expertise or department to further

my career

50% 44% 48% 50% 63% 47% 48% 53% 62% 42% 50% 50% 48% 52% 56% 41%

I am prepared to move to another industry to

further my career45% 63% 44% 47% 43% 45% 39% 44% 49% 36% 46% 42% 34% 47% 37% 42%

I see my current job as a training ground for a

career move to another organization

25% 19% 23% 23% 25% 31% 27% 31% 29% 30% 37% 32% 38% 27% 33% 42%

I feel I have achieved all I wanted to achieve in this organization and

need to move to another organization

30% 44% 31% 30% 35% 28% 28% 31% 36% 27% 28% 28% 20% 36% 18% 23%

I see my current job as a training ground to progress to a career

within the organization

20% 13% 23% 21% 18% 20% 15% 20% 20% 20% 20% 18% 24% 16% 19% 18%

I feel I have achieved all I wanted to achieve in

my career till now12% 31% 14% 9% 5% 17% 11% 14% 15% 17% 7% 11% 11% 12% 8% 10%

Q4a. Thinking about your current job and career in general, which of the following applies to you? Select all that apply.

Professional/career goals

Q4b. Have you set any professional goals for yourself?Q4d. What are your top career goals?

28%

15%12%

7%

29%

10%

Next 5years

Next 2years

Nextyear

Next 6months

No Ihavenot

Don’t know/ Can’t say

57%

49%

46%

29%

25%

25%

16%

12%

10%

Get a new job

Learn new skills

Get a higher salary

Be more productive in my work

Get a promotion (in terms of title)

Go for higher education

Shift my career to another industry

Get along better with colleagues

Get along better with my boss

• 3 in 5 respondents (61%) reported setting professional goals for themselves, which included finding a new job (57%), learningnew skills (49%) and getting a higher salary (46%).

• 65% of GCC respondents reported setting professional goals for themselves versus those in Levant (60%) and North Africa (56%).


Base: Those who have set professional goals (1917)

Professional/career goals

Q4b. Have you set any professional goals for yourself?Q4d. What are your top career goals?


GCCTotal





Current Professional Goals for self


Yes, for the next 5 years 29% 33% 34% 25% 38% 36% 32% 22% 24% 20% 24% 26% 27% 30% 21% 23%

Yes, for the next 2 years 16% 33% 18% 12% 16% 17% 28% 16% 14% 18% 18% 13% 12% 14% 11% 14%

Yes, for the next year 13% 13% 11% 14% 15% 10% 14% 13% 14% 10% 14% 11% 11% 11% 13% 8%

Yes, for the next 6 months

7% 4% 3% 8% 4% 8% 6% 9% 10% 7% 10% 6% 7% 6% 6% 4%

No I have not 24% 13% 23% 29% 18% 19% 14% 30% 29% 34% 23% 33% 32% 31% 36% 39%

Don't know/ Can't say 10% 4% 10% 12% 9% 10% 7% 10% 9% 11% 11% 10% 12% 8% 12% 11%

Top Career Goals

Base: Those who have set professional goals

(1917)720 20 83 341 50 117 109 240 113 75 52 682 165 295 154 68

Get a new job 57% 55% 63% 55% 60% 56% 61% 58% 60% 49% 63% 58% 60% 55% 62% 57%

Learn new skills 47% 35% 46% 48% 54% 44% 45% 47% 47% 41% 56% 51% 47% 54% 47% 54%

Get a higher salary 48% 55% 54% 47% 46% 49% 43% 44% 40% 48% 46% 46% 36% 53% 45% 46%

Be more productive in my work

30% 35% 34% 26% 36% 32% 37% 32% 32% 32% 31% 25% 19% 24% 29% 31%

Get a promotion (in terms of title)

28% 25% 18% 32% 32% 23% 28% 26% 33% 16% 27% 21% 18% 27% 15% 19%

Go for higher education 21% 25% 12% 24% 30% 16% 17% 29% 27% 33% 27% 25% 27% 30% 21% 12%

Shift my career to another industry

16% 25% 18% 14% 22% 11% 17% 19% 19% 19% 17% 17% 12% 20% 17% 21%

Get along better with colleagues

13% 25% 12% 12% 12% 12% 13% 7% 10% 3% 8% 11% 7% 12% 12% 16%

Get along better with my boss

11% 15% 10% 10% 10% 9% 16% 10% 14% 4% 8% 8% 5% 9% 10% 9%

Current job versus perfect job

Q5a. To what extent do you agree or disagree that your current job is the perfect job for you?

16%

38%

21%

14%

23%

18%

17%

8%

9%

4%

16%

10%

25%

23%

28%

19%

34%

27%

30%

28%

22%

31%

29%

28%

26%

31%

23%

25%

24%

25%

23%

20%

20%

27%

25%

25%

30%

20%

26%

28%

27%

11%

20%

13%

15%

24%

18%

13%

24%

18%

20%

33%

27%

15%

12%

25%

13%

6%

7%

15%

10%

13%

12%

19%

12%

15%

4%

16%

12%

16%

TOTAL

Bahrain

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

UAE

Jordan

Lebanon

Syria

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Tunisia

Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neutral Somewhat agree Strongly agree

• Overall, over a third of all respondents (33%) agreed that their current job is the perfect job for them.

• Two-fifths of GCC respondents (45%) and North African respondents (43%) believed their current job is perfect for them, versus 37% of Levant respondents.

33%

19%

22%

39%

28%

26%

36%

36%

32%

48%

31%

31%

25%

41%

Top 2 boxes

GCC Total Bahrain KuwaitSaudi

ArabiaOman Qatar UAE

LevantTotal




593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

Satisfaction with professional growth

Q5b. How satisfied are you with your professional growth over the past year (2018)?

• Overall, half of the respondents (50%) were satisfied with their professional growth over the past year.

• Three-fifths of Kuwait respondents (58%) were satisfied with their professional growth



LevantTotal




593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

17%

25%

19%

15%

20%

24%

21%

13%

15%

11%

16%

13%

26%

16%

32%

38%

40%

25%

43%

32%

29%

34%

42%

39%

38%

30%

30%

30%

16%

13%

20%

18%

8%

16%

25%

8%

15%

9%

12%

20%

18%

12%

20%

13%

12%

24%

18%

11%

12%

25%

12%

26%

27%

21%

19%

30%

14%

13%

10%

17%

13%

17%

12%

20%

15%

15%

7%

16%

7%

11%

TOTAL

Bahrain

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

UAE

Jordan

Lebanon

Syria

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Tunisia

Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied

50%

63%

58%

40%

63%

56%

51%

47%

58%

50%

54%

43%

56%

47%

Top 2 boxes

Mentor/role model in career

Q5d. Do you have a mentor or role model in your career?

45%55%

Yes, I have a mentor and/or a role model No

• Over half of the respondents (55%) reported having either a mentor or role model in their careers.

• Respondents in the GCC were more likely to have a mentor or role model as compared to those in Levant & North Africa (GCC: 50%, North Africa: 42%, Levant: 41%).

56%

51%

44%

55%

48%

62%

40%

41%

41%

41%

43%

38%

44%

44%

49%

56%

45%

52%

38%

60%

59%

59%

59%

57%

62%

56%

Bahrain

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

UAE

Jordan

Lebanon

Syria

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Tunisia

Yes, I have a mentor and/or a role model No



LevantTotal




593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

Motivation at work

Q6. In general, how motivated do you feel at work?

• Overall, two-thirds of respondents (64%) reported feeling motivated at work.

• Three-quarters of respondents in Syria (87%) and Morocco (81%) reported feeling motivated at work, which was higher than other MENA countries.



LevantTotal




593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

32%

44%

36%

30%

25%

33%

36%

27%

33%

48%

30%

16%

41%

36%

32%

25%

29%

38%

30%

25%

35%

41%

32%

39%

38%

23%

40%

40%

21%

19%

19%

21%

25%

29%

15%

14%

21%

4%

19%

35%

7%

15%

11%

13%

12%

8%

15%

7%

6%

9%

8%

7%

9%

20%

10%

10%

5%

4%

3%

5%

6%

9%

8%

6%

2%

4%

7%

3%

TOTAL

Bahrain

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

UAE

Jordan

Lebanon

Syria

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Tunisia

Highly motivated Quite motivated Neutral Not quite motivated Not at all motivated

64%

69%

65%

67%

55%

58%

71%

68%

65%

87%

68%

39%

81%

75%

Top 2 boxes

Factors to increase motivation at work

Q7. Which of the following options would make you feel more motivated at work?

63%

48%

47%

41%

39%

36%

32%

30%

Higher salary and perks/ benefits

Opportunity to express my creativity/ showcase my skills

Better work-life balance

Promotion to the next level

More focus on training/learning new skills

More challenging work

Recognition of my work by peers and superiors

More positive reinforcement from my supervisors

• 63% of respondents reported that higher salaries and perks/benefits would increase motivation at work.

• Interestingly, more respondents stated that opportunities to express creativity (48%), and work-life balance (47%) would increase motivation, as compared to being promoted to the next level (41%).


Factors to increase motivation at work

Q7. Which of the following options would make you feel more motivated at work?







593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

Higher salary and perks/ benefits

62% 38% 77% 60% 60% 61% 56% 70% 71% 74% 61% 63% 54% 71% 55% 55%

Opportunity to express my creativity/

showcase my skills48% 56% 52% 44% 45% 52% 51% 51% 62% 32% 57% 46% 40% 50% 40% 47%

Better work-life balance

45% 44% 44% 44% 40% 54% 42% 40% 40% 39% 39% 51% 55% 49% 59% 41%

Promotion to the next level

43% 44% 53% 42% 40% 39% 40% 41% 49% 38% 30% 43% 44% 47% 33% 33%

More focus on training/learning new

skills37% 31% 34% 32% 53% 38% 44% 44% 46% 39% 46% 36% 39% 38% 32% 30%

More challenging work 37% 56% 27% 34% 45% 46% 39% 35% 38% 33% 33% 36% 34% 38% 33% 30%

Recognition of my work by peers and superiors

34% 25% 37% 31% 38% 36% 34% 30% 36% 24% 28% 30% 26% 33% 23% 30%

More positive reinforcement from my

supervisors29% 31% 24% 30% 30% 28% 30% 30% 44% 20% 20% 31% 23% 34% 40% 26%

Barriers to professional growth

Q8a. What, if any, do you consider to be the main barriers to your professional growth?

49%

44%

30%

23%

22%

21%

17%

15%

11%

10%

7%

6%

Lack of growth opportunities

Poor management within my current company

Favoritism in the workplace

Poor labor laws

Disconnect between my educational qualification and my current job…

Lack of training

Lack of funding

Lack of experience

Personal/ social obligations

Gender stereotypes in the workplace

Too much competition

I do not face any barriers to my professional growth

• The top two barriers to professional growth were a lack of growth opportunities (49%) and poor management within the company (44%).

• A third of the respondents (30%) also reported favouritism in the workplace as a barrier, and just less than a quarter reported poor labor laws (23%), a disconnect between educational qualification and current job (22%) and lack of training (21%) as barriers to professional growth.


Barriers to professional growth

Q8a. What, if any, do you consider to be the main barriers to your professional growth?







593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

Lack of growth opportunities

49% 56% 47% 49% 45% 49% 47% 55% 59% 52% 52% 50% 44% 56% 42% 45%

Poor management within my current

company46% 38% 47% 49% 48% 42% 43% 42% 53% 29% 41% 46% 39% 51% 33% 51%

Favoritism in the workplace

27% 25% 33% 26% 28% 29% 21% 34% 34% 23% 48% 33% 27% 40% 22% 25%

Poor labor laws 18% 6% 15% 25% 25% 12% 7% 28% 31% 26% 28% 26% 30% 24% 36% 22%

Disconnect between my educational

qualification and my current job profile

24% 31% 20% 22% 40% 25% 26% 24% 25% 18% 30% 21% 18% 23% 19% 18%

Lack of training 19% 13% 24% 19% 18% 16% 19% 20% 19% 20% 24% 22% 26% 21% 21% 15%

Lack of funding 12% 6% 11% 17% 8% 10% 9% 25% 24% 24% 28% 18% 18% 17% 18% 18%

Lack of experience 15% 19% 14% 14% 18% 12% 17% 12% 18% 8% 9% 16% 21% 14% 19% 10%

Personal/ social obligations

8% - 7% 8% 15% 6% 13% 18% 22% 12% 20% 12% 15% 13% 10% 5%

Gender stereotypes in the workplace

10% 19% 12% 14% 3% 5% 6% 8% 8% 6% 9% 11% 15% 11% 5% 12%

Too much competition 5% - 5% 3% 8% 8% 9% 10% 13% 5% 11% 7% 8% 7% 7% 8%

I do not face any barriers to my

professional growth6% - 8% 6% 8% 8% 6% 4% 6% 3% 2% 5% 6% 4% 10% 7%

Reasons for seeking employment

Q8b. Listed here are reasons people have stated for seeking employment. Please select up to three reasons that best apply to you.

70%

61%

49%

43%

23%

16%

10%

To consistently learn and gain experience

To make money/ be gainfully employed

To feel useful to society

To be financially independent

To make use of my education

To meet people

To have a routine in life


• Interestingly, 70% reported seeking employment to learn and gain experience, whereas making money was ranked second, with three-fifths of respondents (61%) stating it as a key factor.

• Over two-fifths of respondents reported feeling useful to society (49%) and financial independence (43%) as reasons for seeking employment.

Reasons for seeking employment

Q8b. Listed here are reasons people have stated for seeking employment. Please select up to three reasons that best apply to you.







To consistently learn and gain experience

71% 71% 71% 71% 71% 75% 66% 68% 73% 63% 66% 69% 70% 71% 64% 69%

To make money/ be gainfully employed

59% 33% 65% 60% 50% 59% 55% 59% 56% 64% 59% 64% 61% 69% 57% 68%

To feel useful to society 44% 42% 36% 52% 43% 34% 34% 48% 49% 46% 48% 52% 53% 48% 55% 55%

To be financially independent

45% 46% 38% 44% 50% 45% 53% 50% 55% 47% 43% 41% 36% 43% 43% 38%

To make use of my education

22% 38% 28% 18% 31% 24% 24% 29% 30% 23% 37% 19% 27% 20% 12% 16%

To meet people 15% 21% 14% 14% 19% 13% 20% 17% 12% 22% 20% 18% 18% 16% 19% 24%

To have a routine in life 13% 8% 10% 14% 15% 11% 14% 4% 4% 5% 3% 10% 11% 7% 14% 7%

Percentage of income saved

Q9. Thinking about the past year, what percentage of your income were you able to save?

35%

24%

15%

10%

6%

4%

5%

None

Less than 10%

11-20%

21-30%

31-40%

41-50%

More than 50%


• Over a third of respondents (35%) reported not being able to save any of their income over the past year, whereas one quarterof respondents (24%) reported saving less than 10% of their annual income, and a quarter (25%) reported saving 11-30% of their annual income.

• In terms of region, 50% of Levant respondents reported not saving any of their annual income, compared to one third of respondents in North Africa (38%) and one quarter of GCC respondents (25%).

Percentage of income saved

Q9. Thinking about the past year, what percentage of your income were you able to save?







1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

None 25% 13% 23% 30% 23% 25% 20% 50% 48% 48% 57% 38% 34% 39% 38% 41%

Less than 10% 25% 19% 23% 27% 30% 18% 28% 22% 19% 26% 24% 26% 29% 26% 27% 21%

11-20% 19% 38% 19% 19% 23% 21% 13% 14% 19% 15% 2% 12% 11% 13% 11% 14%

21-30% 12% 19% 12% 14% 8% 12% 9% 7% 7% 5% 9% 9% 10% 8% 10% 15%

31-40% 7% - 10% 5% 3% 7% 12% 2% 4% 2% - 7% 4% 8% 8% 5%

41-50% 6% 6% 4% 4% 10% 8% 9% 2% 2% - 2% 3% 4% 3% 4% 1%

More than 50% 5% 6% 9% 2% 5% 9% 8% 4% 1% 5% 7% 4% 8% 4% 1% 3%

Getting along with Managers and Colleagues

Q10a. Do you get along with your manager(s)?Q10b. Do you get along with your coworkers?


• Nearly half the respondents are observed to be getting along better with their colleagues (48%) as opposed to a third who claim to always get along with their Manager (31%)

• We have less than a fifth (13%) who claim to not get along with their managers most of the time.

31%

49%

13%

3%

4%

Yes, always

Sometimes we do

We don't get along most of the time

We never get along

Don't know / can't say

With Manager

48%

44%

5%

1%

2%

Yes, always

Sometimes we do

We don't get along most of the time

We never get along

Don't know / can't say

With Colleagues

Getting along with Managers and Colleagues


GCCTotal





With Managers


593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

Yes, always 34% 50% 32% 30% 33% 38% 38% 30% 27% 44% 17% 27% 36% 21% 25% 37%

Sometimes we do 46% 44% 49% 51% 43% 39% 40% 50% 53% 38% 61% 51% 46% 55% 51% 44%

We don’t get along

most of the time 12% 6% 11% 13% 13% 12% 11% 12% 11% 11% 15% 15% 7% 19% 15% 14%

We never get along 5% - 4% 4% 5% 8% 4% 5% 6% 5% 2% 2% 1% 2% 1% 1%

Don’t know / can’t

say 4% - 3% 2% 8% 4% 6% 4% 4% 3% 4% 5% 10% 3% 8% 4%

With Colleagues


593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

Yes, always 52% 75% 55% 42% 55% 59% 62% 47% 41% 56% 43% 43% 51% 38% 40% 55%

Sometimes we do 38% 25% 36% 48% 30% 33% 27% 45% 53% 33% 48% 51% 42% 57% 51% 41%

We don’t get along

most of the time 7% - 8% 8% 5% 4% 7% 5% 5% 6% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 3%

We never get along 2% - 1% 1% 3% 2% 3% 2% 1% 3% 2% 0% 1% - - -

Don’t know / can’t

say 2% - - 1% 8% 3% 1% 1% - 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 5% 1%

Q10a. Do you get along with your manager(s)?Q10b. Do you get along with your coworkers?

Satisfaction with current work environment

Q11. Overall how happy are you with the current work environment?

• Nearly half of respondents (49%) reported being satisfied with their current work environment, one third (27%) were neutral, and a quarter (24%) were not satisfied.



LevantTotal




593 16 91 243 40 114 89 197 85 66 46 583 136 301 73 73

10%

25%

5%

11%

10%

10%

17%

7%

8%

7%

10%

7%

14%

8%

38%

38%

43%

38%

50%

33%

28%

32%

41%

54%

46%

34%

42%

40%

27%

25%

34%

26%

25%

35%

28%

32%

27%

15%

23%

33%

21%

21%

16%

6%

9%

17%

8%

16%

17%

15%

18%

20%

14%

18%

18%

23%

8%

6%

9%

8%

8%

6%

10%

14%

6%

4%

7%

9%

5%

8%

TOTAL

Bahrain

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

UAE

Jordan

Lebanon

Syria

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Tunisia

Very happy Somewhat happy Neutral Somewhat unhappy Very unhappy

49%

63%

48%

49%

60%

43%

45%

39%

48%

61%

56%

40%

56%

48%

Top 2 boxes

Relocating for employment purposes

Q13. Would you consider relocating to another country for employment purposes?

74%

17%

9%

Yes No Don’t know/ Can’t say

75%

58%

47%

72%

71%

71%

74%

75%

67%

90%

79%

88%

89%

21%

30%

40%

19%

19%

17%

16%

12%

20%

4%

11%

7%

4%

4%

12%

13%

9%

10%

12%

10%

12%

13%

6%

10%

5%

7%

Bahrain

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

UAE

Jordan

Lebanon

Syria

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Tunisia

Yes No Don't know/Can't say



• Three-quarters of all respondents (74%) would consider relocating to another country for employment purposes.

• Only 47% of Saudi respondents would consider relocating, which is lower than the overall average.

Country chosen for relocation purposes

Q14. Which ONE country are you most likely to choose if relocating?

The top 3 countries chosen for relocation purposes were UAE (22%), Qatar (17%) and

Canada (12%).

Base: Respondents willing to relocate (2317)

Country chosen for relocation purposes

Q14. Which ONE country are you most likely to choose if relocating?






Base: Respondents willing to relocate

(2317) 627 18 73 272 49 118 97 291 135 103 53 1036 265 386 263 122

To UAE 24% 6% 18% 31% 18% 20% 16% 23% 22% 16% 38% 21% 22% 29% 16% 7%

To Qatar 11% 6% 16% 4% 33% 16% 6% 16% 23% 10% 13% 18% 31% 4% 17% 37%

To Canada 13% 6% 23% 8% 16% 15% 16% 12% 9% 17% 9% 14% 17% 7% 22% 15%

To Kuwait 4% 6% 4% 4% - 6% 3% 5% 4% 5% 6% 10% 4% 19% 3% 7%

To Saudi Arabia 10% 11% 1% 18% - 3% 6% 5% 7% 5% - 6% 4% 8% 4% 10%

To Other Western/ European countries

7% 11% 8% 4% 4% 9% 11% 8% 7% 13% 4% 8% 4% 7% 14% 2%

To US 5% - 4% 5% 6% 3% 10% 4% 6% 2% 2% 4% 3% 4% 7% 1%

Ideal retirement age

Q17. At what age would you like to retire?

14%

21%

20%

45%

Before 50 years old

Between 50 – 55 years old


After 60 years old


• 45% preferred to retire after the age of 60. Interestingly, less than a fifth of respondents (14%) chose retirement before 50, indicating a desire to stay in the workforce for a shorter period.

Ideal retirement age

Q17. At what age would you like to retire?







1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

Before 50 years old 17% 8% 22% 13% 26% 19% 26% 12% 15% 12% 4% 12% 14% 12% 11% 7%


21% 17% 25% 22% 10% 23% 19% 23% 29% 19% 15% 23% 34% 13% 27% 23%


20% 13% 20% 20% 22% 18% 21% 20% 18% 20% 25% 21% 26% 15% 24% 27%

After 60 years old 42% 63% 33% 45% 41% 40% 34% 45% 38% 49% 56% 45% 26% 61% 38% 43%

Issues worried about in daily life

Q18. Which of the following issues, if any, do you worry about in your daily life?

61%

38%

27%

25%

25%

25%

21%

19%

1%

5%

Financial issues

Worry about unemployment/ loss of job

Health

Problems at work

Work-life balance

Career path uncertainty

Familial obligations

Family relationships and issues

Other

None of the above

• 61% of respondents worry about financial issues in their daily lives, while nearly two-fifths worry about unemployment/loss of job (38%) and 27% are concerned about their health.


Issues worried about in daily life

Q18. Which of the following issues, if any, do you worry about in your daily life?







1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

Financial issues 57% 38% 60% 58% 50% 55% 62% 65% 62% 67% 68% 63% 59% 67% 54% 76%

Worry about unemployment/ loss of

job40% 33% 33% 44% 37% 39% 31% 40% 40% 45% 33% 38% 32% 36% 44% 45%

Health 22% 17% 26% 22% 19% 25% 22% 23% 22% 22% 29% 32% 38% 29% 33% 23%

Problems at work 20% 25% 25% 22% 24% 14% 15% 22% 23% 17% 29% 30% 32% 33% 23% 28%

Work-life balance 24% 25% 26% 21% 24% 29% 28% 22% 21% 23% 23% 26% 25% 29% 23% 26%

Career path uncertainty 28% 38% 34% 22% 31% 36% 34% 25% 23% 26% 27% 22% 19% 28% 16% 19%

Familial obligations 22% 21% 28% 22% 28% 13% 24% 25% 25% 26% 25% 20% 16% 28% 13% 12%

Family relationships and issues

17% 13% 19% 16% 21% 17% 17% 16% 14% 22% 11% 21% 26% 21% 18% 17%

Other 1% 4% 2% 1% - 2% - 3% 2% 4% 4% 0% 0% 0% - -

None of the above 5% 8% 5% 4% 9% 8% 7% 4% 3% 4% 4% 4% 4% 5% 4% 4%

Top 3 personal goals for 2019

Q19. What are your TOP THREE personal goals for 2019?

65%

42%

39%

30%

25%

22%

20%

14%

12%

9%

9%

3%

Save more money

Travel

Buy property

Exercise more

Spend more time with family

Get married

Meet new people

Find new hobbies

Eat healthier

Spend more time doing my hobbies

Have children

Spend more time with friends


• Overwhelmingly, the top personal goal for 2019 was reported to be saving more money, with two-thirds of respondents (65%) reporting so. Other goals included travel (42%), buying property (39%) and exercising more (30%).

• Perhaps unsurprisingly, buying property was a stronger preference among GCC respondents (42%) versus Levant (34%) and North Africa (35%).

• Half of all respondents in North Africa (48%) and Levant (48%) stated travel as a personal goal, compared to a third (31%) ofGCC respondents.

Top 3 personal goals for 2019







1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

Save more money 70% 46% 77% 69% 62% 70% 72% 63% 59% 69% 61% 62% 56% 69% 58% 58%

Travel 31% 38% 36% 29% 50% 24% 34% 48% 49% 47% 46% 48% 54% 46% 38% 62%

Buy property 42% 25% 42% 44% 47% 43% 34% 34% 36% 30% 34% 35% 35% 34% 39% 29%

Exercise more 32% 38% 30% 34% 22% 28% 35% 24% 24% 26% 23% 32% 28% 34% 38% 26%

Spend more time with family

31% 38% 38% 26% 34% 39% 36% 24% 18% 29% 29% 21% 21% 25% 16% 14%

Get married 18% 17% 13% 22% 10% 16% 16% 17% 19% 15% 14% 26% 29% 18% 38% 24%

Meet new people 16% 25% 17% 12% 21% 23% 20% 25% 25% 27% 24% 22% 25% 16% 27% 28%

Find new hobbies 13% 13% 6% 18% 16% 4% 7% 10% 13% 9% 8% 14% 18% 14% 11% 11%

Eat healthier 15% 17% 22% 12% 16% 20% 18% 13% 15% 12% 9% 9% 5% 13% 6% 8%

Spend more time doing my hobbies

9% 29% 4% 11% 6% 6% 10% 12% 14% 10% 10% 8% 8% 10% 7% 6%

Have children 9% 8% 6% 10% 3% 11% 7% 7% 8% 5% 6% 10% 12% 7% 12% 9%

Spend more time with friends

3% - 2% 3% 1% 5% 3% 5% 4% 7% 5% 3% 1% 4% 1% 4%

Q19. What are your TOP THREE personal goals for 2019?

Overall sentiment about 2019

Q20. Overall, are you feeling positive or negative about what 2019 has to bring?

• Respondents were very positive about what 2019 has to bring, with 76% respondents report a positive outlook towards the upcoming year.

• More respondents in the GCC (81%) were positive about 2019, compared to Levant (68%) & North Africa (72%).



LevantTotal




1101 24 125 581 68 166 137 398 182 137 79 1216 294 487 298 137

40%

50%

51%

43%

50%

64%

63%

29%

25%

23%

37%

25%

45%

34%

36%

29%

30%

35%

35%

23%

21%

38%

41%

54%

39%

39%

33%

44%

17%

17%

12%

15%

10%

11%

12%

19%

21%

14%

17%

27%

17%

15%

4%

4%

5%

4%

3%

1%

3%

8%

9%

4%

4%

7%

3%

4%

3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

7%

4%

5%

3%

3%

2%

4%

TOTAL

Bahrain

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

UAE

Jordan

Lebanon

Syria

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Tunisia

Very positive Somewhat positive Neutral Somewhat negative Very negative

76%

79%

82%

79%

85%

87%

84%

66%

66%

77%

76%

63%

78%

77%

Top 2 boxes

DEMOGRAPHICS

Section 4

Demographics

A total sample of 8,963 respondents was achieved.

Age

• 18-29 – 42%

• 30-39 – 34%

• 40+ – 23%

Marital Status

• Single – 48%

• Married – 50%

• Separated/ divorced – 2%

Region

• GCC – 35%

• Levant – 13%

• North Africa – 39%

Gender

• Male – 77%

• Female – 23%

19%

16%

10%

9%

6%

5%

4%

4%

4%

4%

3%

2%

1%

Saudi Arabia

Egypt

Morocco

Algeria

Jordan

Qatar

UAE

Lebanon

Tunisia

Kuwait

Syria

Oman

Bahrain

Country of residence


Demographics

46%

24%

14%

5%

5%

3%

3%

Working full-time (30 or more hours per week)

Unemployed (Professional with past working experience)

Unemployed (Recent graduate)

Full-time student

Working part-time (less than 30 hours per week)

Full-time homemaker or housewife

Retired

Working Status

• 70% of respondents were working full or part-time.

• The largest working population was in the GCC, followed by Levant and North Africa.


Demographics

62%

27%

5%

2%

1%

4%

Employed in the private sector

Employed in the public sector

Self-employed/ have my own business

Work in charity or voluntary sector

Work in family business

Other

Sector

63 54

25 32

5 4

1 4

1 -

• Nearly two-thirds of respondents were employed in the private sector, and less than a third were in the public sector.

• Men and women were distributed fairly equally across sectors.

62% Employed in private sector

27% Employed in public sector

5% Self-employed/ Work in family business


Length of employment with current company:

41%

22%

12%

12%

11%

University first degree (e.g. BA, BSc, etc.)

Secondary school

Professional higher education (e.g. to qualify as…

University higher degree (Master's, MBA, PhD)

Vocational college education (e.g. to qualify as an…

Level of Education

4 6

16%

26%

19%

15%

11%

Less than a year

1 to 3 years

4 to 6 years

7 to 10 years

11 to 15 years

THANK YOU

Documents

YouGov & Bayt.com Career Aspirations · Key findings (1/3) Overall, respondents are much more likely to prefer being an employee (54%) than owning one’sbusiness (26%). Over 1 in