Finding the Right Job Abroad

Because of the huge range of opportunities becoming available throughout the Gulf/Middle East all year round – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait – employment agencies and recruitment consultants have an important role to play in matching candidates with jobs. A number of executive search and management consultants in western countries act as ‘head-hunters’ for senior and managerial roles (for example in major oil and gas and IT corporations) while the manual and manufacturing labourers tend to come from Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand) and so this is the sector that Asian agencies tend to focus on.

Because of the substantial geographical distances between the Middle East and many of the countries from which foreign workers originate, the ‘middleman’ function of a recruitment agency – one who understands the needs of their clients, the specific demands of each role and the suitability of each individual candidate – is essential.

Each individual agency tends to specialise in one or two particular areas or sectors – for example, computing and information technology, oil and gas, finance and accountancy, engineering and technical. As with all such agencies, they make a profit by charging each candidate a fee, typically 10-15 per cent of that worker’s agreed rate, and this is covered by the employer. Job hunters should be warned that there are plenty of unscrupulous agencies operating in the Middle East, and candidates should never be expected to pay upfront fees.