Most employers within the Gulf Cooperation Council countries plan to recruit additional staff in the next 12 months, according to Hays 2018 GCC Salary & Employment Report.

The report, which was compiled from a survey of more than 4,250 professionals operating in the GCC, found that 71% of employers are planning to recruit additional staff in the next 12 months. The report also highlighted growing optimism for the job market and found that 66% of employers are forecasting market activity to increase year-on-year for their business.

Meanwhile, 64% of employees feel positive about their career prospects for 2018. Hays’ report also found that 51% of working professionals expect to start a new job with a new company in 2018, the main reason being to increase their salary. As for salaries, 61% of employees expect their salary to change in 2018 while 68% of employers expect salaries within their organisation to increase in the next 12 months.

Furthermore, 50% of employers expect employee engagement and staff retention to be the most significant HR challenges for them over the next 12 months.