The recruitment industry is gearing up for recovery across a number of sectors in 2011, according to Michael Al-Nassir, Partner in charge of Middle East, Africa & India, at international executive search firm Pedersen & Partners.

Al-Nassir told Middle East news website Emirates 24|7: “In 2011, sectors that are likely to be more robust are pharma, healthcare, FMCG, and technology (IT & telecom). All these sectors are still in the Gulf region, and demand for talent will be increasing as multinationals seek to increase their market share in the Gulf region.

“To some extent, we will see increased demand from financial services, as many financial institutions have this year cut further or at best not hired significantly. They will also seek growth in 2011 and will look to reverse the trend and build up their businesses. This is likely to affect investment banking, private equity and insurance more than retail banking.”