YouGov-Bayt.com survey shows 68% of professionals feel positive about 2019

AMMAN — A joint YouGov-Bayt.com online survey showed that 68 per cent of Jordan’s professionals are optimistic about their career outlooks for 2019, according to a summary of the study that was e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

The “Career Aspirations” study, conducted by job search and career engine Bayt.com and global market research company YouGov, shows that 60 per cent of respondents to the survey in Jordan plan to find new jobs in 2019.

Notably, 3,128 people participated in the survey region-wide.

In regards to career ambitions, 62 per cent have set future professional goals for their careers that also include learning new skills (47 per cent) and receiving higher salaries (40 per cent).

Only 15 per cent have expressed negative sentiment towards their career in 2019, while 67 per cent believed they deserve to work at higher-level positions, the summary said.

Salaries presided over all other priorities for the “ideal job” factor for professional residents in Jordan, including both foreigners and nationals.

The top factors seen as “important in an ideal job” by respondents were salary and career growth opportunities, followed by job security and work-life balance. 

Almost half of the surveyed sample claimed they preferred being employed over owning their own business.

In terms of personal goals, 59 per cent of respondents in Jordan said that saving money is their top personal goal.

Other primary objectives in 2019 for the surveyed sample from Jordan include travelling, buying property and more exercise.

Regionally speaking

Some 49 per cent of the respondents across the region said they are willing to move into entirely different industries to broaden their professional expertise, according to the study.

The reported reasons for seeking employment in the region are marked by the desire to consistently learn and gain experience, gain money and achieve financial independence and feel useful to society.

“As for motivation levels in the workplace, 68 per cent reported feeling motivated at work — as opposed to 17 per cent who do not,” the summary underlined.

However, 71 per cent reported that higher salaries and improved perks and benefits would help to increase their motivation. 

Less than a fifth of respondents said they preferred retirement before the age of 50, indicating a desire to stay in the workforce for a longer period.

“The Career Aspirations study aims to better understand the challenges and aspirations of MENA professionals,” said Kerry McLaren, head of Omnibus MENA at YouGov.

Insight into the workforce’s attitudes can help enhance the market to harness young energies and flourish, according to McLaren.

“It is wonderful to observe that the majority of respondents... emitted such a positive sentiment for the 2019 working year. This encouraging outlook will reflect positively on the region’s hiring activity and the individual career progression,” said Suhail Masri, VP of employer solutions at Bayt.com.

“At Bayt.com, we work with over 40,000 employers across the MENA region and they rely on our technologies and data to master their talent management practices,” he added.

Bayt.com is a job site operating in the Arab Gulf, Middle East and north Africa regions, connecting job seekers with employers looking to hire.