The GCC Catch 22

If you need regional experience to get a job... but can't get a job without regional experience... what do you do?

It's a pretty big Catch 22 that exists within the market here at the moment and one of the biggest shifts we've seen over the past few years.

A few years ago, in the post-covid boom, companies in the UAE were focussed with bringing in talent from overseas.

There was a lack of recognisable talent on the ground and it felt like the only to way to plug this gap was to look abroad.

As the market has tightened up (globally, not just here) over the past couple of years, we’re seeing:

• More talent available on the ground - whether that be people who have experienced lay-offs or people moving to the region without a job. 
  

• Companies gravitating towards people with regional experience over those looking to enter the market. 

I think the reason for this shift is two fold. 

Firstly, the markets here each have their own nuances and the priority is usually someone who can hit the ground running - particularly when it comes to the slightly less international markets of Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh.