7 in 10 professionals are satisfied with their career growth during the past year

A new survey by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, spotlights the career goals MENA professionals will focus on in 2021. The 2021 New Year’s Resolutions Poll reveals that a majority of MENA professionals (80%) feel positive about 2021 and 74% of the survey respondents have made resolutions for the new year.

Most respondents are optimistic about their ability to stick to their resolutions. More than two in five of those who made New Year’s resolutions for 2020 (41%) said they have achieved all of them and 33% achieved some of their resolutions for the year. Furthermore, 78% of survey respondents complete their New Year’s resolutions with careful planning and hard work while 16% do it by going with the flow and trying different options. Only 7% of professionals don't normally complete their New Year’s resolutions.

Although 70% of respondents are satisfied with their career growth during the past year, finding a new job emerges as the top career-related resolution for 75% of respondents, followed by improving skills and productivity (15%) and getting a promotion or a salary raise (8%).

Whilst looking for new jobs in 2021, prospective candidates will focus on key attributes including career growth opportunities (38%), flexible work arrangements (25%), competitive salaries (14%), work-life balance (14%) and a reputable company brand (8%). A whopping 81% will spend more time looking for remote jobs in 2021, using online job sites (77%), company websites (10%), social media (7%) and virtual job fairs (2%).

Survey respondents also highlighted expectations they have of MENA employers – which include more training and learning resources (56%), offering more rewards and benefits (19%), providing more feedback and support (11%) and being more flexible with timing (7%).

“Career-related New Year's resolutions are popular among MENA professionals who aim to improve their career prospects in the coming year," said Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com. “Our research shows that getting a new job is amongst professionals’ top New Year's resolutions and many professionals will begin 2021 with great aspirations. To attract and retain talent, employers will need to meet workers' career expectations and provide the perks, work-life balance and career advancement opportunities they demand."

One way to achieve professional goals at work is through an appraisal, which allows employees to discuss their performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, discover what their ambitions are and work on how to get there. A majority of respondents (63%) have year-end appraisals at their company while only 21% don’t. Appraisals offer an opportunity to build professionals’ career, and perhaps lead to a pay increase.

Furthermore, most MENA professionals are focused on improving aspects that have a direct impact on the quality of their lives. Among professionals who are making personal resolutions, popular ones are saving money (64%), exercising and following a healthy diet (17%), spending more time with friends and family (10%) and taking more vacations (3%).

Data for the 2021 New Year’s Resolutions Poll was collected online from 28 October to 20 December 2020. Results are based on a sample of 4062 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.