Medical workers, content freelancers and e-commerce specialists are among the fastest growing professions in the UAE, according to LinkedIn, which is reaping the benefits of a global jobs market in flux.
"While the shifting landscape over the past year has resulted in significant job losses, we've also seen a rise in job categories in direct response to changing consumer behaviour and business needs," LinkedIn said in its 'Jobs on the Rise' report.
Parent company Microsoft posted a 23 per cent surge in revenue for the platform last year compared to 2019. In addition to selling advertising, revenue is generated from premium subscriptions that can help job seekers and tools for recruiters.
About half of the UAE’s adult population, four million people, are members of LinkedIn, which is the world’s biggest professional networking site with 740 million users around the world.
LinkedIn looked at the roles experiencing the highest growth between April to October 2020, compared to the previous year and ranked job categories by a combination of growth and the size of demand for roles.
These are the top five.
1. Specialised medical professionals
Hiring for medical professionals more than doubled in the UAE from April to October 2020 as the world battled the Covid-19 pandemic.
LinkedIn reports 41 per cent of those hired had a Master’s Degree or above with the most in-demand roles being registered nurses, general practitioners, doctors and pharmacists.
2. Digital content freelancers
To support the local economy during the pandemic, the UAE created new work permits for international freelancers as online activity and remote working soared.
The adoption of digital platforms across sectors, and changing consumer behaviour led to a threefold increase in digital content-related jobs, with a quarter open to hiring a remote worker.
The top skills for these creative types were for blogging, YouTube, podcasting and social media marketing.
The average age for this job category was 29, slightly higher than other markets like Brazil and Spain where the average age was 25 and 26 respectively, according to LinkedIn.
3. Healthcare supporting staff
While frontline nurses and doctors continue to be most in demand, those in supporting or "behind the scenes" roles are also finding greater opportunities in a changed world. Lab assistants and managers working on vaccine clinical trials, coronavirus treatments and PCR testing, like those at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center and Group 42, led to a 129 per cent rise in demand for jobs, according to LinkedIn.
Top skills are in hematology, infection control, microbiology, laboratory skills and clinical research.
4. E-Commerce specialists
Dubai became a nexus for developing virtual shopping tools and capabilities, according to LinkedIn. E-commerce coordinators and online specialists are the most in demand.
The average age of those hired was 29, and two-thirds hold a bachelor’s degree.
The top skills are in digital marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO) and e-commerce.
5. Digital marketing specialists
Companies moved to capitalise on increased e-commerce activity and a rapid adoption of remote working, with a growth of 71 per cent hired into digital marketing roles in 2020, according to LinkedIn.
Social media-related roles showed some of the highest growth and one of the most balanced gender hiring, with 51:49 female to male ratio.
The top skills were in influencer marketing, content strategy, market research and Google Ads. Important to note: the vast majority of these “hires” were self-employed or freelancers.
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