Business & Money | Monday 3 October, 2016 10:29 am |

According to the latest Monster Employment Index, the demand for Software, Hardware and Telecom professionals in Saudi Arabia has grown by 29 per cent in August 2016, when compared to the same period last year. The latest figures mirror the Kingdom’s drive for progress and transformational growth, including its efforts to nationalize its telecom sector by a 100 per cent.

As the country is working on activating its nationalization programs throughout the telecoms sector, the application of digital technology is becoming increasingly visible across other service-led sectors as well.

For the first time, this year, the annual pilgrimage saw increased security through mobile applications, developed specifically for those attending the hajj. Such advancements in IT applications are not only changing the experience of last year’s 17.5 million religious tourists, it also shows how heavy investment in digital infrastructure could contribute positively to the non-oil sector of the country’s GDP.

“It is as if businesses across a multitude of service-led industries are keen to reinforce digital innovation, in order to move the country towards a more balanced economic plan,” said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director – APAC and Middle East, Monster.com. “By expanding its innovation ecosystem, Saudi Arabia is set to launch new products and services – some of which the market has previously never seen. Just recently, for example, the Kingdom announced plans for building a smart city competency centre and a smart city reference site, whilst also integrating technically advanced, 'Smart City' technologies in future urban planning and design. With this in mind, it is little surprising that the Kingdom’s innovation strategy as part of Vision 2030 is making a positive impact on employment, creating new jobs for Software, Hardware and Telecom professionals.”    

The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of online job posting activity in the Middle-East based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career websites and online job listings.  The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.