Despite the wide spread cuts in jobs in the UAE due to the coronavirus crisis, it might be surprising to find out that there are still job opportunities available. Covid-19 has brought about major changes to the labor market and this has made some jobs irrelevant while some have risen in demand. The economy of the UAE has been visibly shaken, but there are still some industries in the country with considerable economic activities and may even be looking for more people to join their labor force.

How the labor market has changed

The labor market has shifted from what was majorly human-to-human to virtual contact. Almost every activity from interviews to hiring, training and carrying out work is done online. The pandemic has redefined work processes and also the necessary competitive skills needed to stay relevant in the new business world of the UAE.

Before the outbreak of the virus, the UAE relied a lot on workforce that comes from outside the country but the travel bans in place have made employers shift their focus to candidates inside the UAE. Also, many companies are upskilling their current staff all in a bid to make up for the employee shortages they are experiencing.

Since the market has changed, workers also need certain skills to stay relevant in the new labor market.

Workers need to have high adaptability skills since the outbreak has altered the way business is regularly done and even roles in the workplace. This is the time for professionals to learn how to quickly adapt to whatever changes come up.

Emotional intelligence is another skill that will be needed in order to thrive in the post Covid-19 business environment. Employees need to show that they can work well within teams and respond effectively to their own personal emotions and those of others as well.

Another skill that is very crucial is tech smartness. As more and more businesses are transitioning to the digital space, it becomes highly imperative that professionals are up to date with current technology trends in their industry.

Leadership skill is another very important requirement for these times. With remote work being on the rise, more leadership opportunities will be available for employees as some decisions will need to be taken almost instantly. Roles will be changing easily and leadership will be changing hands fluidly.

Employees will also need to brush up their customer service skills as this is already in very high demand since many services are completely carried out online now.

Which professions are relevant?

Although worker displacement has been high in certain industries whose demand have dropped greatly, some however have experienced more demand for their services that many businesses in these high demand industries are experiencing shortage of staff. This is a great opportunity for job seekers and they can find jobs online on platforms like Jobsora.

In the health sector, nurses, doctors and consultants are in high demand. Not only are they needed in hospitals and clinics, they are also needed by corporate bodies as well. For instance, nurses are needed to do daily basic health checks on employees in the corporate world.

In the technology space, those who are skilled in digital product development and management (user interface and user experience), software engineering (mobile development, full stack development, etc.), cyber security, cloud infrastructure, business intelligence and data analytics are in high demand as most companies are undergoing digital transformation in varying degrees.

In finance, credit controllers, financial planners and analysts are being hired in large numbers as companies more than ever before need to make smart financial decisions.

Claim administrators, administrative staff and back end data coders are experiencing a surge in demand in the insurance world as insurance companies are experiencing a high rise in claims.

Demand has greatly risen for drivers, riders and forklift operators in the logistics/e-commerce space as delivery services are greatly needed.

In the home services industry, domestic work, deep cleaning and disinfection services are also in high demand as people are trying to ensure their environments are clean and virus/bacteria free.

Have salaries changed due to Covid-19?

The economy has been severely impacted by the outbreak. Some businesses have been forced to shut down completely and workers in large numbers have lost their jobs. For some businesses who cannot lay off a lot of their workers, they have resolved to salary cuts in order to stay afloat.

Conclusion

The Covid-19 situation definitely brought gloom and doom to economic activities which resulted in a great spike in unemployment. However, there is still hope in the UAE as some industries are actually in need of more workers. People who have been laid off from their previous jobs can seek work in these industries.

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