Do you want to work in the UAE? Here’s a list of the most in-demand skills.

As we move back into real life now we seem to be dealing a little better with the turmoil of the past two years (no need to mention the C word here), lots of students are looking for pathways into the jobs market. Many are about to graduate, and lots have signed up to their courses with a view of future employment or entrepreneurship in mind. With so much competition about, you need to get your head around where the best options are, and so I've come up with a bunch of professions that I see as some of the areas where there will be growth. Some of the industries might surprise you.

Nurse: We humans seem to be living longer than we ever have before, and so while we may age, generally, our bodies don’t cope particularly well with it. Recently, of course, COVID has been a game changer, and this means that the need for nurses is on the rise, and so this is one area of growth in the employment market. Becoming a registered or state registered nurse (RN, SRN) means you’ll have qualifications that can take you all over the world to work. Nursing is not one of those jobs that is recognised as skilled in one country and not in another, say, for example like carpenters, plumbers and electricians, where in the UK and Europe are skilled, but in the Middle East and Asia, chippies, pipers and sparkers tend not to be so highly valued.

Blogger: Twenty years ago, maybe even less than that, no one knew what a blogger was, even less that they could be paid handsomely for telling people about things or places you’re interested in, have been or experienced, and want to share with other people. Blogging was possibly one of the earliest examples of marketing taken to cyberspace. Bloggers were the first examples of influencers, where they had to employ skill, nous and knowledge rather than just touting a pout and showing a bit of cleavage or leg to tantalise rather than use their brain.?

Influencer: Which brings us nicely to the role of an influencer. The fact is, seven years ago there was no such thing, so their presence has come as something of a surprise for many of us, and there are plenty who think they can do it because it looks so easy, when it really isn’t. It doesn’t take a huge amount of skill, but it does take an enormous amount of dedication to the task, and the most important thing, you have to look great (or at least have “something” about you)! Don't get me wrong; I’m not saying they don’t work at it, but let’s be honest, there’s not a huge amount of skill involved in becoming an “influencer”.

Financial analyst: Our sister magazine, GEDD!T, has just brought a financial guru on board, and she is in one of the best sectors for future employment or starting her own business. Financial analysis is a growing sector, as we seem to be working towards making more and more, rather than enjoying and sharing what we have. We see the likes of Bezos, Musk and Gates pulling away from us mere mortals, and our aspirations have changed over the past 20 or 30 years. Anyway, knowing what we can do with our money is as important as earning it. Those who understand the whys and wherefores of individual and business finance will be highly sought after by the big hitters like Deloitte and PwC for either financial advisers and/or investments.

Video producer: This one’s a bit close to my heart because it’s something I used to do. I found it pretty easy to learn and get on with the editing software, as I did with newspaper design and make-up. The previously mentioned influencers need editors, marketing companies, PR companies, media, journalism and corporates need people who can throw a video clip together seamlessly and efficiently.When you consider that many universities offer double major degrees in communications and media, you can graduate with all the skills you need to walk into a position, so the future is pretty bright. To make sure you have some hands-on experience, get yourself a stint at either an online outfit or an internship that will let you put your theoretical knowledge into practice.

Engineer: Did you know there are more millionaire engineers than any other profession? If that’s not enough to make you want to sign up, then nothing will. Other than that, there’s a huge amount of scope in the engineering field, from civil to cyber, and architecture to mechanical. The amount of openings for engineers is incredible, especially in the UAE, as the job the Government has done here has been nothing short of phenomenal. I can’t think of another country that has grown so quickly and effectively as the UAE has, and that is down purely to the vision and determination from the country’s leaders. Again, work experience will really help get you a position once you graduate, so make the connections and press the flesh in some networking sessions.

Teacher: There’s an old and very, very wrong expression that goes, those who can do, those who can’t teach. That’s actually pretty insulting. As a teacher I can honestly say that it is one of the most difficult jobs on the planet, and I’ve had four completely different careers in my lifetime, so I know what I’m talking about. Other than the amount of hours behind the scenes and out of the classroom you spend, there’s often little appreciation from plenty of students, and in a couple of other positions in higher education, the management also pour a lot of pressure on faculty, certainly since the outbreak of COVID. I know a couple of teachers who have taken on two, three and even four different positions with zero increase in wages(some even taking a hit) and very little appreciation from management, as they know nothing about the faculty side of operation. Still, teachers are one of the most important professionals on the planet, and those who continue to learn, gain extra qualifications and knowledge are a step apart from the rest.

Translator: Considering the UAE is home to almost every language on the planet, it gives you some idea of the potential for translators to get work. However, although the official language is Arabic, the most widely spoken is English, closely followed by Arabic, then Hindi , Urdu and Malayaman. Added to those languages, we have Russian, German, French, Italian,and Balkan languages, and so it stands to reason that this is where the lion’s share of the work is going to be found. Look for work with legal firms, the education and health sector for positions for marketing and proofreading, though there are plenty of roles out there if you look for them.?

Social media marketing: Fifteen years ago there was no such thing as a social media marketer, and as technology seems to be progressing at a huge rate of knots, many of you who are studying now will have opportunities that we don’t yet know about by the time you graduate. Whatever, social media marketing is still a growth industry, and the more platforms that appear, the more work there will be. There will be plenty of openings in lots of smaller businesses who want to raise their profile with effective and innovative campaigns.?

Web & app design and development: It will come as no surprise that due to the Internet there will be a plethora of opportunities in the web design and development sphere. Again, as we look for new and innovative ways for businesses to get their message out there, and programming degrees like IT, software development and coding are on the rise. If you know Javascript, Python, C+++, PHP or any of the tons of other coding software options, you’ll be onto a winner.