BEIRUT: Around 24 percent of Lebanese firms will “definitely be hiring” in the next three months, according to a poll conducted by regional job search website Bayt.com and consulting firm YouGov.The percentage is forecasted to significantly increase to 68 percent within a year, the study showed.
But it added that hiring expectancy in the coming months would be slightly lower than it was in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Of the 54 percent of companies in Lebanon that are “definitely” or “probably” hiring throughout the next three months, the majority (42 percent) will be looking to hire less than five people, while 25 percent reported that they will look for 6 to 10 new employees.
Across the region, 31 percent of respondents prefer candidates with strong computer skills and prior experience in a managerial role.
In Lebanon, team management proved to be the most sought after experience to 36 percent of the corporate respondents, followed jointly by computer skills and sales and marketing experience, according to 25 percent of the respondents.
The survey highlighted the three most desirable skills for Lebanese employers as the ability to be a flexible team player (50 percent); good communication capabilities in English and Arabic (44 percent) and the ability to work under pressure (43 percent).
The top five academic qualifications most desired by local employers are business management (34 percent), computer science (24 percent), engineering (23 percent), administrative qualifications (22 percent) and information technology (20 percent).
“Employment trends are relatively similar across the region, with roughly a quarter of MENA companies considering hiring new staff in the coming months, and in a year’s time,” said Bayt.com vice president Suhail Masri.
The data for the survey was collected online from Jan. 2 to Jan. 24, 2012. Results were reported on a base of 9,238 respondents.
Countries that participated are the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Pakistan.