More than half (53%) of employers surveyed in the Gulf Cooperation Council region anticipate new jobs to be created this year, an increase of 40% from last year, according to research from Naukri Gulf.

Hiring is predicted to be led by the Construction and Engineering industry, followed by the Oil & Gas industry. Hiring is also set to rise in the Retail, Banking & Finance and Hospitality sectors.

“Looks like there is a slow and steady recovery of the job market in the GCC countries. As per the naukrigulf.com hiring outlook survey 53 per cent of recruiters expect new jobs to be created in the coming months. Good to see core sectors Construction, Engineering, Oil and Gas showing signs of growth. Good times ahead for jobseekers,” V Suresh, chief sales officer Naukrigulf.com, said.

The data from Naukri also showed that four out of ten recruiters highlighted that hiring talent for candidates with 8-15 years of experience was the most challenging.

Meanwhile, the report showed that 44% of employers predicting layoffs to be stable in the coming 6 months, while 32% expect an increase.

The majority of respondents, or 61%, stated that the talent crunch has intensified in 2018 as compared to 2017.