Emirates: Jobseekers across the UAE and the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are anticipating an increase in the number of virtual job and career fairs that will be held as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Future Hiring Trends in the Mena survey by Bayt.com, 87 per cent of Mena professionals expect to see a rise in virtual job fairs, while 81 per cent of respondents expect remote hiring to increase over the next few months. In addition, 74 per cent of employed respondents claim that their company is adopting a fully online recruitment process. When it comes to scouting for new job opportunities, 72 per cent of job seekers consider online job sites to be the most reliable source to find relevant opportunities, followed by social media and company websites.

"Recruiters in the Mena region are using technology to spur innovation and optimise the hiring process. Data obtained from our latest survey confirms that online job sites can have a substantial impact on the recruitment process in terms of helping companies scale and hire more talent," said Ola Haddad, director of Human Resources at Bayt.com.

According to the recent EY Future Consumer Index, 69 per cent of respondents in the Mena region believe that the way they live their lives will significantly change in the long term as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The data showed that 29 per cent of respondents said that their biggest priority was to protect their health and the health of their family, which will guide the choices that they make.

"Many organisations responded to the Covid-19 crisis with a degree of speed and innovation they probably wouldn't have thought possible a few months ago. But they still need to work out how to serve a more health-conscious and value-conscious consumer," said Ravi Kapoor, Mena Consumer Industry Consulting Leader at EY.

Bayt.com's survey also showed that employers in the Mena region are implementing positive initiatives to prepare for the workforce of the future, with 80 per cent saying that their company has a clear plan to keep up with expected changes in the recruitment landscape after Covid-19.
When it comes to hiring in the future, tools such as CV searches, job postings, video interviews/candidate selection tools, online applicant tracking systems, and online onboarding tools will become the norm for managers looking to expand the company's workforce.

Bayt.com's survey results also confirmed that the key to a successful hire lies in accessing the largest choice of talent, the ability to screen and filter efficiently, the ability to test and assess candidates online, the ability to conduct streamlined onboarding, and strong employer branding.