Research from PwC finds that workers consider skills development programmes a leading factor in their decision to stay with their employer.
By Maggie Mancini
Employees in the Middle East are actively embracing transformation and showing greater alignment with their organisation’s long-term goals than their global counterparts. According to PwC’s Middle East Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey 2024, 85% of more than 1,500 regional employees understand their organisation’s goals, surpassing the global average of 77%. Additionally, there is a high level of trust in leadership, with 80% of employees expressing confidence in their leaders’ ability to fulfill commitments and promises, higher than the global average of 68%.
The survey also reveals a desire for financial improvement and career advancement among employees in the Middle East. This is indicated by 44% of respondents considering changing employers within the next year, compared to just 28% globally. Further, 71% plan to ask for a pay raise and 67% are seeking promotions. Opportunities to learn new skills are a significant factor in employees’ decisions to stay with their employer (67%).
The survey finds that the workforce’s strong desire to learn new skills is driven by technological advancements in the region and the need to address the climate crisis. In the Middle East, 63% of respondents believe that technological changes—particularly the rise of AI, GenAI, and robotics—will impact their jobs within the next three years, while more than half believe that climate change will impact their jobs in the future.
More than half (53%) anticipate that climate change will lead to more health and safety risks in the workplace while more than a third (37%) believe it could result in job loss.
In addition to upskilling, collaboration and flexibility are highly valued throughout the Middle East region, with 87% and 81% of employees, respectively, prioritising these qualities. These surpass global averages of 63% and 65%, reflecting a regional working culture that values teamwork and agility.
The uptake of new technologies, such as AI and machine learning, is rising across the region, with 81% of employees saying they have used GenAI within the last 12 months. While a quarter of respondents regularly use GenAI at work, nearly half recognise GenAI-related risks, such as the likelihood of bias (64%) and misleading information (56%). Digital literacy is driving a strong demand for skills development programmes, with 67% of employees citing this as a leading factor in their decision to stay with their employer.
The report finds that a skills-first approach is emerging throughout the Middle East, with 61% of respondents saying they need to learn new tools and technologies to perform their jobs effectively. Specialised skills are becoming increasingly crucial, with 80% of respondents with such training finding their jobs fulfilling. This underscores the importance of upskilling for continuous learning when enhancing job satisfaction and boosting employee retention.
