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Middle East tech sector’s hire and fire conundrum

By Shruthi Nair

The mass layoffs in the global tech sector last year were the highest since the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, but they are not necessarily a reflection of the job market globally or in the Middle East, according to a Dubai-based digital transformation and Web3 expert.

“The layoffs only constitute 10 percent of all the people that were hired during Covid-19,” said Jeremy Denisty, co-founder of Imagin3 Studio.

Mena-based employees from companies including Meta, Amazon, Google and Accenture were laid off but a shortage of tech talent has been the biggest concern in the region.

A survey by PwC revealed that 75 percent of the employees in Kuwait, 60 percent in Qatar, 58 percent in Saudi Arabia and 46 percent in the UAE believed their country had a shortage of people with specialised skills. 

Will the layoffs in the West create an opportunity for tech job seekers to come to this region to bridge the talent gap?

Watch the video above to find out.

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