Dubai, UAE (PRWEB) July 12, 2009 --

The economic downturn has slowed recruitment activity in the GCC region

significantly, with Dubai in particular seeing a fall in the number of

vacancies advertised, though still retaining a sizeable share.

More discreet and confidential recruitment methods and a shift to lower

cost recruitment channels are also among the main trends highlighted in

research carried out by Middle East online recruitment firm,

GulfTalent.com.

The research shows that the percentage of Dubai-based vacancies

advertised on the firm's website constituted only 30% of all GCC-based

positions advertised in the first half of the year, compared with 43%

over the same period in the previous year. Kuwait and Bahrain have also

been badly hit.

In contrast, Abu Dhabi has seen its percentage share of job

vacancies increase from 14% to 23%, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia have

also seen similar increases in their share of vacancies.

The UAE overall has seen an increase in the outflow of expatriates,

with 26% of all job applications submitted by UAE residents targeting

vacancies in other Gulf countries, compared to just 16% the previous

year. Despite the increase, the outward mobility of UAE-based expats

remains the lowest in the region, with the majority preferring to

remain in the country.

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