Demand for IT jobs increases

THERE has been a surge in the number of information technology (IT) jobs in Bahrain ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19), according to a new survey.

The study conducted by Bayt.com, a leading job portal in the region, revealed an increase in demand for IT and telecommunications professionals in the kingdom.

The survey was conducted in partnership with YouGov, a global online market research company, to better understand the Covid-19 impact on current and future workforce.

It covered 889 respondents from countries in the region, including Bahrain, who shared their feedback about the current job market and remote working experience.

“During the Covid-19 crisis, we have seen an increase in the number of jobs posted in Bahrain in software development, telecommunications and IT services,” said the survey.

“The percentage growth rate is 100 per cent for each industry (when comparing Q1 2020 to Q4 2019).”

Since last month, Bahrain has implemented remote working in the public sector that increased to 70pc and the private sector has been urged to follow the same practice.

The findings revealed that 81pc of GCC professionals believe that technology is helping mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

Professionals and companies have significantly changed their daily routines and have begun a process of social distancing, with at least four in five of GCC respondents saying the pandemic has influenced their everyday professional lives.

However, 77pc said the virus was influencing their daily personal life too.

The survey revealed many businesses are developing or implementing work-from-home policies to ensure business continuity through regular online communication particularly video conferencing.

“As an increasing number of employees work from home, 42pc are using resources and tools available online that can help them with their tasks,” the survey said.

“Just over half the GCC respondents (53pc) say they have started conducting business meetings online/remotely to avoid physical contact, and 47pc are using tools available online that allow collaboration between teams.”

Interestingly, the vast majority of GCC respondents (80pc) believe that Covid-19 will affect employability and hiring activities across all industries in the future.

Two-thirds of the respondents said their online and virtual job search activities are likely to increase, while 38pc of employees believe that online and virtual hiring activities are likely to increase in their companies.

The survey also said 79pc of GCC respondents have improved their personal hygiene at the workplace in the past few weeks.

“This is followed by avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth after using office equipment (68pc).”

The survey showed that 61pc of GCC companies have taken action to strengthen hygiene measures and are procuring supplies of masks and sanitisers.

“A key aim of our research is to understand the impact that Covid-19 has on current and future workforce,” said Bayt.com human resources director Ola Haddad.

“Our survey targeted professionals across the region to gain essential insights and better context to help organisations offer support and guidance during these unprecedented times.”

YouGov data services research director Zafar Shah said the survey uncovered measures taken at the workplace to slow down the spread of the virus and provided an overview of the pandemic’s impact on businesses and job seekers.

The job portal is used by more than 40,000 global employers and has a database of over 38,000,000 professionals.

Source: http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/810841/Demand-for-IT-jobs-increases