Demand for IT development specialists in the MENA region. What developers and competencies are needed?

August 01, Dubai - In recent years, number of companies and investors have changed course and are seeking partners in Arab countries and North Africa. The viability of the region can be defined by the following factors:

­   Countries are at active stage of their digitization journey, including both government administration and the private sector.

­   Potential consumers have resources that they are willing to invest in digitalizing processes.

­   The digital ecosystem is in the process of developing and requires experience, competencies, and infrastructure.

­   There is a demand for technology, and a young and financially capable population is willing to pay for and use modern IT solutions.

­   More than half of government transactions in the UAE are carried out using blockchain technology. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain are rapidly deploying 5G, and e-commerce has been growing at a rate of 25% per year for several years in a row.

Epol Soft specialists analyzed several hundred current IT job postings and made the following conclusions on where IT developers are most demanded and with what skills:

by sectors, the leaders by attracting IT specialists are:

­   FinTech;

­   E-commerce;

­   B2B service developers for business: CRM, ERP, BI.

Assumption: GOV sector is using direct channel for sourcing specialists, thus not present in the above rank.

by competencies, the leaders are

1. Net developers. In most cases, employers are looking to attract Full Stack specialists with:

­   at least 3 years of work experience;

­   skills in VB, HTML5/CSS3, API, C#;

­   knowledge of various SQL options;

­   experience with Azure;

­   mastered SCRUM.

2. Java specialists. Most job postings are placed by companies in the financial sector and marketplaces. Employers are interested in Full Stack developers who have:

­   certificates and experience working with Oracle databases;

­   AZURE competencies;

­   skills in working with Kubernetes, Terraform;

­   the ability to work with microservices.

Other frequently requested competencies include:

­   Spring Framework;

­   RESTful API;

­   Hibernate;

­   Docker;

­   JPA;

­   Kafka.

3. Most employers looking for Python developers are seeking Full Stack specialists for cloud solutions development and expect them to have successful experience working with AWS and various versions of SQL. Additionally, employers often want to see specialists with the following competencies:

­   Django;

­   JavaScript;

­   React;

­   HTML5;

­   CSS;

­   Python;

­   ORM.

In addition to technical competencies, cultural peculiarities should be considered:

-          Communication styles and etiquette. Generally, priority is given to personal meetings, and business interactions usually include formal greetings, small talk, and building personal relationships before discussing business matters.

-          Arabic is the predominant language, although English is widely used in the business world. Basic knowledge of Arabic phrases can significantly improve communication and demonstrate respect for local culture.

-          Trust and relationships, which are the foundation of business interactions. Building trust will take time to establish personal connections. Networking events and meetings provide opportunities to meet and establish relationships with potential partners and clients.

-          Business etiquette and protocols. It's important to dress conservatively, respect the hierarchy and values of the country, and use appropriate titles when addressing others. Patience and flexibility are crucial because of the value placed on achieving consensus and developing relationships.

-          Understanding religious peculiarities. Respect for customs, traditions, and norms is important for positive perception by partners and clients.

This information was prepared by Epol Soft, a developer of solutions for telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing companies, and governmental institutions. While providing the most accurate and reliable information possible is one of TalentNations' objectives, it does not take responsibility for the exceptional accuracy of the information, data, opinions, recommendations and statements presented in this material.

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About Epol Soft

Epol Soft provides full-cycle software development from business analysis to implementation and maintenance of software. Design, develop and support solutions for telecommunications, medicine, manufacturing companies and public administrations. More information on www.epolsoft.com.