New LinkedIn data may spell good news for the ever-increasing number of job seekers in the Middle East.

A recently released study examines international employment trends in 2013, forecasting a rise in available jobs at many companies and institutions all over the world. 43% of companies surveyed will increase the number of new vacancies requested for this year; 36% will hold steady, requesting the same number of new jobs as the year before.

The study also highlights four major global recruiting trends useful to both employers and potential employees:

• Online social professional networks are the most commonly used method by business owners to seek new talent
  
  
• A company's brand is the single most important factor in attracting and retaining talent
  
  
• Companies are increasingly trying to retain and reward in-house talents, to increase brand loyalty among employees
  
  
• Mobile phones will be used more and more to search and apply for jobs. Human Resources firms are currently looking into innovative uses for mobile phones to connect employees and jobs.

Companies and entrepreneurs in the Middle East can make use of these recruiting trends to find the right candidates, while job seekers can benefit from understanding the most commonly used recruitment channels.

Social networks, professional and otherwise

HR professionals in the region are aware of the value of professional social networks, such as LinkedIn, in finding talented new employees. The popularity of these social networking websites in the region has been steadily growing: LinkedIn for example reached one million users in Saudi Arabia alone last month.

Non-strictly professional social networks like Twitter and Facebook are not just used by job seekers to find new jobs; business owners  also use them to build their company’s brand, as well as for sales and marketing purposes. Employers scan job candidates’ social profiles for previous experience, cultural background, views and opinions related to the company’s field of work, and certain sets of needed skills.

Role of mobile phones in job search

Mobile phone usage in every aspect of business is booming, and human resources is no different. While the use of mobile phones in the job application process is still limited, the future looks bright for the implementation of mobile technology in this realm as well. LinkedIn’s study notes that, when job applicants were given the option of applying for a job using their smartphone, 52% of them took advantage of it.