Analysis Employment Saudi unemployment rate drops as over 1 million expats leave The unemployment rate among Saudi nationals, especially women, continues to decline, as the latest data from the Saudi General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) also showed that over a million expats left the kingdom during the pandemic. The population at the mid-year point in 2021 was 34.1 million, a 2.6 percent year-on-year decrease. Foreign workers and […] July 1, 2022
UK agency inks first Jordan deal to create 4,000 jobs UK Export Finance (UKEF), the government’s export credit agency, has announced its first deal in Jordan to support the largest clothes manufacturer in the Middle East and North Africa in the construction of new factories and a corporate office in Aqaba. The deal with Classic Fashion Apparel Industry, worth £66 million, will facilitate the building […] June 29, 2022
Manufacturing Tesla closes office as layoff hits Autopilot jobs Tesla has shuttered its office in San Mateo, California and laid off roughly 200 employees working on its Autopilot driver-assistant system there, one of the people told Reuters, in a move seen as accelerating cost-cutting. Most of the laid-off people had been hourly workers, that person said. Early this month, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk […] June 29, 2022
Banking & Finance Volt, Australia’s first online-only bank, shuts down Volt Bank Ltd, the first exclusively online bank to gain an Australian banking licence, said on Tuesday it would shut down, returning deposits and selling its mortgage book after failing to raise sufficient funds to support the business. Its collapse is a further blow to a business model that the Australian government and regulators promoted […] June 29, 2022
Tourism Hotelier recruiting 12,000 workers for World Cup Hotel operator Accor is recruiting 12,000 temporary overseas employees to operate 65,000 empty rooms in apartments and homes in Qatar as temporary fan housing for the 2022 soccer World Cup, its chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin told Reuters. Qatar is working to avoid an accommodation shortage during the tournament and has hired Accor, Europe’s largest […] June 29, 2022
Erdogan says Turkey to review minimum wage due to inflation President Tayyip Erdogan said he has asked the Labour Ministry to review the minimum wage in Turkey due to persistently high inflation, after hiking it by 50 percent at the end of last year. Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the ministry would finalise work on the issue this week and he would make […] June 28, 2022
Opinion Gender gulf remains too wide but new paths are opening to women With just 5.3 percent of board positions in the UAE held by females, the country has set a quota for listed companies to have at least one woman on the board by 2025 June 21, 2022
Opinion Say what you mean, mean what you say Empty words could dilute your business mission and drive away valuable employees June 20, 2022
You just can’t get the staff: firms in race to meet demand Businesses in the United Arab Emirates’ non-oil sector are struggling to recruit enough staff to keep up with rising demand. The latest monthly S&P Global UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reported that business activity was at a five-month high in May. “The rate of job creation was the fastest seen for seven months but was […] June 10, 2022
Analysis Delivery drivers deserve ‘a steady income’, say UAE operators Motoboy, a Dubai-based delivery operator who entered the market in December last year, believes all drivers in the sector should be paid a fair wage and should not be expected to cover operating expenses for their employers. In early May, delivery drivers at Talabat, the Middle East unit of Germany’s Delivery Hero, and British operator […] June 9, 2022
Manufacturing Tesla in China hiring drive, despite Musk’s threat of job cuts Tesla was proceeding with an online hiring event in China on Thursday and added two dozen new job postings for the country, a week after Elon Musk threatened job cuts at the electric car maker and said the company was “overstaffed” in some areas. Tesla plans to hold the event online starting from 7 p.m. […] June 9, 2022
Opinion Remote working is here to stay – and the Gulf is no exception Middle Eastern economies need to attract the best talent to meet their goals. And despite what Elon Musk thinks, the best people can do great work remotely June 6, 2022
Opinion How corporate rudeness impairs results Every business wants high-performing employees, so create a culture where what’s being said is more important than who’s saying it June 2, 2022
Elon Musk tells Tesla staff: return to office or leave Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk has asked employees to return to the office or leave the company, according to an email sent to employees and seen by Reuters. “Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week,” Musk wrote in the email sent on Tuesday night. […] June 2, 2022
Opinion British Business Group membership rise reflects growing interest in the UAE The growth of the networking association is linked to the UAE's handling of the pandemic, and a post-Brexit drive to expand beyond Europe May 25, 2022
Analysis Lifestyle Get ahead in the Gulf with our networking advice This month’s guide on how to succeed in the Middle East offers essential tips on business practices and social etiquette The Middle East is rich in opportunity for businessmen and women, but entrepreneurs keen to forge partnerships need to remember that norms and practices can vary from those in Europe or the US. The region […] May 23, 2022
Opinion New unemployment scheme is risk worth taking for UAE Income protection insurance available to all residents is an enormous government undertaking May 20, 2022
Employment Food drivers stage walk-out over pay inspired by Deliveroo Foreign food delivery workers in the United Arab Emirates staged a mass walk-out yesterday, calling for better pay and working conditions in a rare instance of industrial action in the country. The strike follows similar action this month in which foreign workers forced another company to suspend plans to cut pay. In the latest episode, […] May 10, 2022
UAE to offer unemployment insurance in bid to retain workers "The intention is to strengthen labour market competitiveness, provide a social umbrella for workers and establish a stable working environment for all," said Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. May 9, 2022
Exclusive Tech Revealed: top co-working spaces in the Gulf Demand for co-working spaces is on the rise in the Gulf as business communities evolve to support the shift towards knowledge-based economies and nurture a new generation of startups driving a different way of working. Spaces are opening up across the region to accommodate a different breed of worker that prioritises flexibility, low rates and […] May 9, 2022
Employment Deliveroo backs off plan to cut pay of UAE riders after strike Delivery service Deliveroo on Monday put on hold plans to cut pay and extend working hours for its drivers in the United Arab Emirates after a rare strike over the weekend. The Amazon-backed company said in an email to restaurants, seen by Reuters, that it had paused proposed changes in its rider pay structure and […] May 3, 2022
‘Great Resignation’ sees more companies offer equity to staff Companies in North America and Europe plan to give more employees an equity stake in their businesses to help retain talent amid a pandemic-induced “GreatResignation”, a survey showed on Wednesday. Global Equity Organization (GEO), a not-for-profit body tracking global share plans and executive compensation, said 25 percent of North American companies and 22 percent of European firms surveyed said they […] April 27, 2022
