Job market news for finance professionals in Middle East | Recruitment news for financial professionals in the Gulf

Understanding cultural differences – such as the potential pitfalls of public displays of affection – is something every expat should furnish themselves with before moving to the Middle East. But the disparities of doing business are not always so obvious. Based on conversations with industry practitioners and financial sector recruiters, we've compiled six adjustments every Western banker should prepare themselves for when working in the GCC. 1. Learn to love Arabian coffee... Read more

Accountants working in the Middle East should feel more confident about their job security than this time last year. However, new job opportunities are likely to be thin on the ground – over two-thirds of firms in the region have no plans to add headcount in 2010. According to a survey by recruiters Robert Half, which took in responses from more than 2,800 hiring managers, 67% of firms in the Middle... Read more

Recruitment levels in the Middle East financial sector last month hardly set the world alight. But, some firms have unveiled a string of hires, while others have suggested that expansion is back on the cards. Al Masah Capital, the recently established alternative asset management firm, has taken on Akbaer Naqvi as an executive director, who is tasked with building the firm's hedge fund business. Arqaam Capital, the Middle East investment bank, has... Read more

PricewaterhouseCooper's bid to become the dominant Big Four accountancy firm in the Middle East has created something of a poaching frenzy. It has recruited more than 20 partners from Ernst & Young in the Middle East as well as hiring 25 new partners and 400 staff in the region, according to a report by the Times. PwC has also relocated 17 partners and 250 fee earners from the UK, US and... Read more

While recruitment in the Middle East financial sector remains relatively subdued, some senior hires hint that expansion is back on the cards at certain institutions in the region. AlixPartners, the US advisory firm, has formally kick-started its DIFC operations as it looks to capitalise on a potentially lucrative pipeline of corporate turnaround work. Arab Banking Corporation has named Ian Gore as group head of resources, saying that "attracting, developing and retaining" talent... Read more

The case of Charlotte Adams, the British woman jailed for kissing in public in Dubai, highlights how the emirate's strict decency laws could land expatriates in trouble. Considering the region's reliance on a foreign workforce, could this deter financial services workers from making the move in the future? For those who haven't followed the case, last week Charlotte Adams dropped her attempts to appeal against a month-long jail sentence for kissing... Read more

Qatar banks could create more than 5,000 new financial services jobs this year, with expat bankers in particular looking to move to the emirate. The forecast by recruiter Kinsey Allen has suggested Doha’s financial services industry will employ some 20,100 people by the end of this year, more than three times the 6,200 people employed by the sector in 2006, and significantly more than the 14,900 people working in the industry... Read more

Business plans for 2010 are in place, and sentiment around the Middle Eastern financial sector has taken a more positive slant. However, recruitment in the first month of this year remained relatively muted. Arab Banking Corporation has unveiled Dr Khaled Kawan as its new deputy chief executive. He will have responsibility for the group's wholesale banking, universal banking and group operations. The Bahrain Financial Exchange has named Salah Al Abdulla as... Read more

This short video originated with our colleagues in the US. Featuring Cat Miller, eFinancialCareers' response to Maria Bartiromo, it's intended to help you suppress the instinct to be horrible about former/future colleagues in interviews. Watch carefully.

Don't go there.Watch the video.

After the recent turmoil, it's possible that the coming year could provide something of an acid test for the lofty ambitions of the Middle Eastern financial sector. Here's our considered opinion on potential hiring activity in 2010. 2010 could be a good year for: Private equity: The huge volume of 'dry powder', or non-invested capital, that private equity firms in the GCC have been sitting on just gets bigger – the Gulf... Read more

Picking out the positives after a turbulent year for the Middle East financial sector is no easy task. However, here's our considered opinion on who has fared better, and which sectors have suffered. 2009 was a good year for... Sovereign wealth funds: Some comparatively risky investments have paid dividends for the Middle East sovereign wealth funds this year. Most notably the Qatar Investment Authority's $1.1bn profit on its Barclays stake sale and... Read more

Previously, we've been running a feature whereby readers of eFinancialCareers' editorial are able to submit their CVs totally anonymously (and with all distinguishing features removed) for constructive criticism by the community. We'd like to start doing this again. This has happened on three occasions so far, and we like to think the experience has been valuable for both the CV writer and reviewers. The results are visible here, here and here. If... Read more

In what could be viewed as something of a return to common sense, the sort of rapidly escalating pay packages offered to expats working in the UAE financial services sector have ceased. Instead, they have begun to shrink. Recruiters Robert Half have just produced their first salary survey for the Gulf region, which suggests that demand for front office banking staff in the region has slipped this year, and... Read more

The month of Ramadan is typically a quiet period for financial services recruitment in the Gulf and this year was no exception. Though a handful of new firms commenced new operations, the majority of recruitment was restricted to replacement hires and internal reshuffling. Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, the Japanese commercial bank, has started its operations in Bahrain Financial Harbour, 10 months after signing an initial lease agreement. Banque Saudi Fransi has named... Read more

After picking up a bit of momentum over the last few months, financial services recruitment in the Middle East was relatively slow August. Obviously times are tough, but it's also in a large part down to the annual summer lull and the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank has named Malik Sarwar as global wealth management executive to lead the team as it targets... Read more

Have you spent months out of the market in the past two years, but managed to get a financial services job again fairly recently? If so, we'd be interested in hearing from you. We're looking for people who can share their experience of losing a job, and the path back to career salvation. If this applies to you, please email us in utmost confidence and utter anonymity at editor_gulf@efinancialcareers.com.

In the interest of balance, considering all the recent talk of a Middle East expat exodus, it's worth pointing to a new report which suggests they are still able to live the high life in the region and have no desire to leave. Four GCC states were in the top ten of the latest HSBC Expat Explorer, with Qatar the highest ranked at number two. The survey is, however, based... Read more