After working from home became the new normal in the UAE during the Covid-19 lockdown, Abdul Rahman Risilia, CEO and co-founder of ARC Talent, believes that hiring ‘hybrids’ is the latest recruitment trend as recruiters and HRs look for people who can wear multiple hats together.
He told Arabian Business: “Data, CX, service design and artificial intelligence (AI) are some of the skills that will define the future of the workforce in the UAE.”
Another trend that Risilia believes will also take over the market is opting between onshore and offshore. He said: “Many businesses will continue to have this debate in their strategy meetings. The cost and benefit analysis of any project is the main decision maker behind this change.”
Risilia also said that the workforce habitat will dramatically change, as the need to come to the office will no longer be a “necessity”. He added: “HR professionals need to adapt to this change and reflect it in their new working methods – basically, they need to create the efficiency and the head space for the organisations to grow and evolve.”
Adapting to changes
Additionally, Risilia noted that recruitment agencies are having a hard time and this will continue till they follow “an archaic contingent business model”.
He added: “HR leaders should take the lead and strategically partner with the business to revise their budgets and approved hiring plans. They need to decide where the business is heading, what capabilities and what type of working environment they need. Their aims now will be to find ways to finally build an efficient manpower costing module.”
In the UAE, recruitment companies are seeing an influx of candidates, which has made it challenging to identify the best talent. Risilia said that there had been “a misconception” that with so many candidates in the market the recruiting process would be easier, but it is not.
“We are long overdue for a change and the talent advisory model is the only sustainable model, moving forward,” said Risilia.
