E-commerce driving hiring rebound in the Gulf in early 2021, say HR bosses

E-commerce driving hiring rebound in the Gulf in early 2021, say HR bosses

The job market in the GCC region is buzzing again with activity after a spurt in hiring since January in some select sectors and for specific roles, according to HR managers.

The most in demand talents currently are in e-commerce, HR - specifically for talent acquisition professionals - graphic designers and marketing professionals, they told Arabian Business.

As for salary hikes, it was a mixed bag for companies across the GCC region in 2020, they added.

Business activity in both the UAE and Saudi economies improved at the start of 2021,, according to IHS Markit

While leading firms in sectors such as consulting, home retail, online education and e-commerce handed out handsome salary increases last year, companies in most organisations either did not give salary hikes or gave moderate hikes of around 3-6 percent, said the HR bosses, who wished not to be identified because of their internal communication policies.

“The companies which rewarded their employees with handsome salary hikes were those belonging to the sectors which performed better than even the previous years during the Covid lockdown, leading to unexpected windfall,” the global HR head of a GCC-based consumer products company told Arabian Business.

A senior executive in a UAE-based recruiting firm said hiring at