Kristine has a broad range of expertise in recruiting for start-up companies and renowned professional services entities for both local and international talents from mid-senior to C-suite level positions. In this blog, she will discuss her observations in relation to the job market, and human resources and how it has impacted the overall recruitment and selection process in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The era of the pandemic has been one of the most transformative for the workplace, not only in the GCC region but in organisations globally. A series of events have happened in the Kingdom such as start-up companies flourishing, organisations restructuring, and employees re-evaluating their position in a firm, which has significantly impacted the skills and talent required in human resources to be able to continue supporting the strategic direction of the organisation in different business phases.

With the impact and shifts that are occurring, we have seen a number of trends and an increase in demand to fill certain jobs across many organisations in the last couple of months.

There has been a significant demand for jobs in the HR advisory and HR consultancy space as organisations are trying to attain a certain type of skill set from their workforce as well as restructuring the business to be able to adapt to the current market trends. There has been a huge mandate in hiring advisors and consultants on a project-based model to provide change management solutions and to help with the inception of a number of start-up entities affiliated mainly with Vision 2030. Many professional services companies are striving to acquire more talent who are native bilingual Arabic speakers and are well-experienced in professional services in the areas of change management, organisational design, workforce planning, digitalisation and overall HR Transformation.

A core priority for organisations since the pandemic has been to be more proactive in attracting and retaining talent which we have seen through an increase in jobs related to talent management and learning and development that cater to enhancing the skills and capabilities of internal talent in order to meet business demands and robust succession plans. There has also been an increase in demand for recruitment/ talent acquisition roles to support the change of workforce plans and strengthen the attraction and retention of the top talent in the market.

We have observed the acceleration of companies integrating automated systems into their workflow procedures and promoting a centralised shared services structure between the corporate departments, as well as demands from companies, mostly within start-ups, looking to hire senior executive leaders for shared services/ corporate services with a preference for professionals that have both HR and technology dynamics.

Over the next 6 months, we can see the demands for hiring local talent within HR remaining constant with female talent being a favourable choice for leadership positions. We are expecting an increase in opportunities as more businesses in the Kingdom accelerate growth plans, restructure and start-up organisations flourish in support and affiliation with Vision 2030. We, however, will also see that the greatest battle will continue to be the “talent war” for strong HR professionals. Many organisations are facing the same business changes and require the same skill set and calibre of talent which has resulted in workforce shortages and a huge drive in attracting highly qualified talent in the HR space.

If you would like to leave a comment on the blog or require Kristine’s expertise please contact her at kdatu@cooperfitch.ae