Job seekers in the United Arab Emirates may have the most reason to be optimistic of those in any country in the Middle East. The UAE posted a 25 percent increase in jobs between July 2013 and 2014, while the entire region saw a gain of just 11 percent, according to the Monster Employment Index. Job opportunities grew 1 percent from June to July.
The country’s financial services sector experienced the highest growth, expanding 40 percent over the year. It was nearly matched by the engineering, construction and real estate sector, which grew 38 percent. A 23 percent increase was also seen in health care. Retail and information technology were among the country’s lowest-growth sector, each gaining less than 5 percent over the year. Advertising and related media professions fared the worst, with 15 percent fewer job openings over the year.
According to data from the UAE Central Bank and TradingEconomics.com, the UAE’s unemployment rate had been climbing steadily from 2002 to 2010. In 2012, it hit its highest rate of 4.6 percent in January, before falling back to 4.2 percent by the end of the year.