(PRWEB) -- Professionals working in the Gulf region have been hit hard by the downturn, with almost two-thirds not receiving any pay increase and one in ten losing their jobs this year, according to research released today by GulfTalent.com, the leading online recruitment firm in the Middle East.
In its fifth annual survey of labour market trends in the region, entitled "Employment and Salary Trends in the Gulf 2009-2010", GulfTalent.com provided the first comprehensive account of the impact of the downturn on recruitment and pay.
Based on findings of the study, average salary increases across the six Gulf countries over the 12-month period to August 2009 fell sharply to 6.2% compared with 11.4% over the same period last year.
The drop was most severe in the UAE, which fell from 13.6% to just 5.5% this year, largely due to its heavy exposure to the real estate sector. Kuwait also saw a significant drop in pay rises from 10.1% to 4.8%, after the value of its financial investments collapsed.
