Regional Report
Services in Dubai, points out, "Coming off the events of the Arab Spring, the Middle East and Africa are two of the last unexplored geographies starting to show an interest in the likes of HRO. We wouldn't be here if we felt otherwise."
Laying the Foundation Here, however, is not everywhere. "One must remember that the Middle East is an incredibly complex cultural and business area, where it is hard to draw a bead on trends," says Guy Ellis, director of CourageousHR, a London-based HR consultancy.
He makes a clear point. While HRO is currently in play— from northern African countries such as Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt through Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar and
Oman—the penetration rates differ, in some cases markedly. Countries such as Tunisia, not necessarily a large centre of industry, have far lower HRO/RPO adoption rates than seen in Dubai.
"The degree of interest depends to a large extent on the nature of organisations in the region, and the level of industrialisation," says Steve Leach, client services director for defense, engineering and energy, in the London office of RPO provider Alexander Mann Solutions. Countries that have developed diverse businesses around natural resources such as petroleum, Leach explains, are moving ahead quite rapidly to embrace HRO. "They're looking for ways to deliver centralised functions to their organisations," he maintains.
SUMMER 2012 | www.hroglobal.com
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