Global marketing recruiter EMR reports that it sees confidence returning to the economy in the Gulf region, with “greater fluidity” in the marketing job market.

According to Simon Bassett, managing director of EMR, marketing recruitment provides a lead indicator into market confidence. He said: “EMR benefitted early from the improving global market, with steadily rising revenues over the last six months. We’ve had a reassuring start to the year against the backdrop of concerns about a double dip.”

In terms of the Middle East specifically, Tim Hedger, regional managing director at EMR’s parent company, the FiveTen Group, said: “While the region, and Dubai in particular, has experienced some well publicised economic problems over the past year or so, we’re picking up signals from the market that confidence is returning.”

As part of further developing EMR’s presence in the Gulf, EMR has appointed Abigail Gibson to lead its Middle East operation. Gibson joins from Witan Jardine. She will be based in Dubai.

“Abigail is joining the business at an exciting time,” Hedger said.

Hedger said 2010 will be an ‘interesting’ year in the Middle East, both for established employees and for jobseekers: “The positive sentiment has helped maintain strong basic salaries across most marketing and communications disciplines, perhaps as people have become less reliant on bonuses. We are also starting to see greater fluidity in the job market as many who were unsettled last year were deterred from moving due to the recession.”