UAE Online Job Postings In Healthcare Rise 21% In April – Study

Online job postings in the UAE’s health care industry increased 21 per cent year-on-year in April 2014, the latest figures from the Monster Employment Index in the Middle East revealed.

The index, which is a monthly measure of online job activity, found that occupations in the purchase/logistics/supply chain saw a year-on-year growth of 26 per cent, with the strongest growing industries being Healthcare and Banking, Finance, services and insurance, which both showed the strongest employment growth at 21 per cent year-on-year.

This growth was due largely to the long-term ambitions in the sectors and the demand they are currently experiencing, said Sanjay Modi, managing director, Monster.com for India/ Middle East South East Asia.

More affordable treatment, lifestyle related diseases and increasing insurance penetration are among factors set to increase the size of the GCC healthcare market to $69.4 billion by 2018, according to Investment bank Alpen Capital’s analysis of the GCC healthcare industry. The study projects that the market will grow by 12 per cent annually, from $39.4 billion in 2013.

Outpatient and inpatient markets are expected to account for 79 per cent and 21 per cent respectively of the overall market size.

“We are bullish on the prospects of the healthcare industry in the region. On the demand side, rising affordability, lifestyle related diseases, the treatment of which is both costlier and lengthier, and increasing insurance penetration will ensure vigorous rise in healthcare spending in the GCC. On the supply side, the government is taking measures to ensure that the infrastructure is equipped to handle the increasing demand,” said Sameena Ahmad, managing director, Alpen Capital.

The UAE’s IT/Telecom sector recorded the steepest decline of employment opportunities with April postings down 17 per cent.

Geographically Kuwait recorded the highest rise in online opportunities with 32 per cent year-on-year growth, closely followed by Egypt which recorded 20 per cent growth.

Monster Employment Index in Saudi Arabia eases seven per cent, year-on-year last month with Hospitality charts seeing the steepest growth on the year. However, oil and gas saw the steepest decline among sectors.

Among occupation groups, sales and business development exhibited the most notable growth in annual demand.

The Monster index is based on a review of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career web sites and online job listings.