Hi Social Media Plays 'A Key Role' In Employment in Saudi Arabia.

In Hi' summary: "Social Media"

Social media is significantly impacting entrepreneurship and helping create employment opportunities in the Arab world, according to the first ever comprehensive study on the connection between social media and Mena employment, launched this week.

Close to 5,000 respondents from around the region contributed to the Dubai School of Government (DSG) report titled "Social Media, Employment and Entrepreneurship - New Frontiers for the Economic Empowerment of Arab Youth", which indicated that social media is playing a key role in promoting social advancement, job creation and business growth in the region, particularly in terms of supporting SMEs and facilitating start-ups.

"It is critical that companies use social media to engage both existing and aspiring employees.

Harnessing value from the flow of big data generated from social media is critical for driving greater operational efficiency, cutting costs, boosting profits and unlocking new routes to innovation," said Sam Alkharrat, Managing Director of SAP Mena, who was a partner in the study.

Nearly 80% of those surveyed agreed that social media, and associated technology, helps provide access to important job market data, allowing users to both advertise and locate job opportunities, with 75% agreeing that a new 'virtual job market' has emerged as a result of engagement with social platforms.

While perhaps being weaker in terms of case studies and quantitative research on how social media engagement is leading to successful entrepreneurship, the study did cover the range of uses for social media.

"Of course this is just based on peoples' perception and it doesn't necessarily translate onto the ground yet," Racha Mourtada, Research Associate with Dubai School of Government told AMEinfo. "But we do know that people are willing to utilise social media to create enterprises and promote job creation, so the willingness is there as well as the realisation of the benefits of social media."

"It's mostly been a qualitative approach, but we did have a few questions about peoples' actual experience with social media. We specifically asked entrepreneurs what they use social media for - mostly promotion and outreach. We're not quite at the stage where [social media] is used as more of a collaborative tool for crowd sourcing and crowd funding."

Report shows enthusiasm toward social media in business:

Close to 5,000 respondents from around the region contributed to the Dubai School of Government (DSG) report titled "Social Media, Employment and Entrepreneurship - New Frontiers for the Economic Empowerment of Arab Youth", which indicated that social media is playing a key role in promoting social advancement, job creation and business growth in the region, particularly in terms of supporting SMEs and facilitating start-ups.

"It is critical that companies use social media to engage both existing and aspiring employees.

Harnessing value from the flow of big data generated from social media is critical for driving greater operational efficiency, cutting costs, boosting profits and unlocking new routes to innovation," said Sam Alkharrat, Managing Director of SAP Mena, who was a partner in the study.

Nearly 80% of those surveyed agreed that social media, and associated technology, helps provide access to important job market data, allowing users to both advertise and locate job opportunities, with 75% agreeing that a new 'virtual job market' has emerged as a result of engagement with social platforms.

While perhaps being weaker in terms of case studies and quantitative research on how social media engagement is leading to successful entrepreneurship, the study did cover the range of uses for social media.

"Of course this is just based on peoples' perception and it doesn't necessarily translate onto the ground yet," Racha Mourtada, Research Associate with Dubai School of Government told AMEinfo. "But we do know that people are willing to utilise social media to create enterprises and promote job creation, so the willingness is there as well as the realisation of the benefits of social media."

"It's mostly been a qualitative approach, but we did have a few questions about peoples' actual experience with social media. We specifically asked entrepreneurs what they use social media for - mostly promotion and outreach. We're not quite at the stage where [social media] is used as more of a collaborative tool for crowd sourcing and crowd funding."

Report shows enthusiasm toward social media in business

The landmark report excels in providing vital clues to the mood of young professionals - the majority of those surveyed were in their twenties. The research team from DSG had a specific profile in mind to reflect the demographics and gender breakdowns on which the study was focussed, which was about a 60% male and 40% female, leaning more towards younger people under 30. Respondents were mostly within the private sector, but generally all were social media savvy.

"We were pleasantly surprised about the overwhelmingly positive view that social media can impact entrepreneurship and employment," explained Mourtada.

The big surprise is due to the fact that, for young Arabs, the job market outside of the public sectors of wealthy GCCmember states is not at all bright. A UN survey released earlier this year referred to Arab youth unemployment as 'disturbingly high', while noting that Middle East and North African countries had the highest unemployment youth rates in in the world in 2011 - at 26.2% and 27.1%, respectively.

However, DSG's report tells a sunnier tale, hailing social media as a vital component for start-ups in the Arab world, with 86% of respondents agreeing it contributed to success. Among the reasons cited were the multifaceted marketing potential (90%), a capacity to tap into wider markets (86%), substantial customer engagement options (85%) and its overall potential to raise awareness and instill entrepreneurial mindsets (84%).

Social media is significantly impacting entrepreneurship and helping create employment opportunities in the Arab world

Fadi Salem, Director of the Governance and Innovation Program, DSG, and co-author of the report, said in a statement: "Despite having few stable economies in the region today, the most active part of the Arab population; the youth, is increasingly feeling empowered. Our on-going research over the past two years has shown that close to 50 million Arabs are actively connected to social media and primarily use the platforms to change social and political realities in their countries.

Finding the balance between the UAE public, private sector

Salem chaired an expert panel at the launch of the report in order to facilitate discussion around where the responsibility lies in facilitating employment and business growth, in the context of an increasingly digital environment.

Speaking after the discussion, Mourtada admitted there was 'a bit of a way to go': "The panellists have been very candid about what needs to be done, their weaknesses and what issues need to be addressed - it seems from what's been discussed that the public sector is carrying a lot of the burden for job creation and the private sector needs to step up. So, I think just recognising this is an important step," she said.

It may be true that the government route may be a safety net for many, particularly in the UAE, though there is no shortage of incentives. The emirates are peppered with Free Zones, where businesses can be established at very limited cost, though Mourtada pointed to a shift in attitude being the real key.

"In the UAE there hasn't been that much of a hunger or need to succeed, because things are provided on so many levels, which is another contributing factor. It's about creating public-private partnerships. I think both have a lot to shoulder, but both need each other in order to create any sustainable initiatives."

"I think the government has been a bit of a safety net for a lot of people. A lot of youth expect to finish school and go into a stable government job, but now a lot of young people are changing and a lot of people want to create their own jobs and be their own boss. That's a big step forward," she continued.