RIYADH — Bayt.com, the Middle East’s leading job site, held its largest employer and HR leadership event, Talent Forward, revealing the latest trends and information in the world of hiring talent in Saudi Arabia. The event took place in Jeddah and in Riyadh.

This year, Talent Forward dissected some of the most pressing matters related to talent that are specific to the Saudi Market. The subjects discussed included hiring national talent and assisting with outplacement, searching for niche skills, finding and hiring a culture fit, components that make the ideal workplace, and the impact of the latest technological and business trends on hiring.

The Bayt.com event brought together a multitude of Saudi professionals from the HR and talent-management fields; the heads of some of the country’s most prominent businesses; and Saudi-based recruiters who are interested in the latest trends in recruitment. Panelists included Zeyad Al Swailim, Regional Senior Recruitment Manager (KSA & Levant), Hilton; Abdulelah Al Hadidi, Country Human Resources Manager, IKEA; Rola Basamad, General Manager, Bab Rizq Jameel; and Tarek Shaker, Sourcing and Recruiting Lead, Islamic Development Banking Group.

Ali Al Khaibary, HR Manager at United Furniture Co. Dome, who moderated the roundtable discussion at the event, said: “Connecting Saudi talent and top companies in Saudi Arabia is a priority, and I was proud to see that a very large number of exceptional Saudi talent are already using Bayt.com to find jobs. The event was very insightful!”

The event also presented several adaptive hiring strategies and revealed some of Bayt.com’s latest products; Bayt.com Branding Platform, a new tool for employer branding and talent attraction; and UpMeet, an AI-powered application that matches professionals and enables them to meet.

Mohammed Khaiwa, General Manager at Bayt.com, said “it is our mission to empower the Saudi Job Market and part of doing that is holding our Talent Forward Events regularly.” He continued to discuss the aim and objective of the event, adding, “This year, we wanted to discuss the most pressing matters for the Saudi market, but to also bring forth the solutions and technologies that can help businesses find their talent needs efficiently. Since our inception in 2000, we have worked with over 40,000 companies to help them find, hire and retain top talent and with nearly 32 million professionals, including 1.5 million Saudis, who rely on our job site to find opportunities and build their careers.”

Saudi job seekers who are registered on Bayt.com come from very diverse backgrounds, age groups, qualifications, and industries. — SG