Across the demands that reach our office, the constant is construction. Masons, carpenters, steel fixers, shuttering carpenters and general labour remain the largest single group, particularly for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where site programmes move quickly once visas are stamped.
The second group is maintenance and technical support: electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, plant and heavy-equipment operators, diesel mechanics. These demands are smaller in headcount but harder to fill, because employers want a trade test result and often a certificate, not just years on a CV.
Drivers, security guards, housekeeping and catering teams make up a steady third stream, mostly for facility management and camp-service contractors in Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. These roles turn over more often, so employers tend to come back for replacements rather than one large order.
What this means for a candidate is straightforward. A trade test certificate, a valid passport and a clean medical are worth more than a long list of employers. Where a worker can show documented experience in the same trade they are applying for, the file moves faster.
For employers, the practical advice is to describe the trade precisely. 'Mason' covers blockwork, plastering, tiling and stone cladding, and the test a candidate is put through depends entirely on which of those the site actually needs.
Written by the recruitment desk at Shahenshah Overseas, Rawalpindi. Licence 3026 / RWP, Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment.