Surge in opportunities in the Gulf for international contractors

Demand for UK construction workers in the Gulf is on the increase as the region gears up for a number of global events, says international professional services consultancy Procorre.
Thu, 21 Aug 2014Demand for UK construction workers in the Gulf is on the increase as the region gears up for a number of global events, says international professional services consultancy Procorre.

With infrastructure projects such as the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and Expo 2020, construction roles now account for more than a quarter of positions for international contractors in the United Arab Emirates, despite the Emirate being known as a financial services hub.

According to an analysis of roles in the UAE advertised to UK contractors, senior construction positions account for 27% of the total number of white collar roles – 82% in Qatar and 54% in Saudi Arabia.

Lisa Mangan, relationship manager at Procorre, says: “The number of roles for senior construction contractors in the Gulf fell sharply after the financial crisis, as funding for new building projects collapsed. But the regional economic recovery and high oil prices have combined to trigger another boom in building, particularly as the region prepares for major events like the World Cup.”

This surge in job opportunities in construction mirrors similar recent findings reported by recruiter.co.uk in other sectors. The Monster employment index revealed the number of jobs advertised in the Middle East grew by 23% year-on-year in June.

And a survey by global recruiter Morgan McKinley last month showed that professional job opportunities across the UAE increased by 21% between the first and second quarters of this year.

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