Via Gavin Gibbon in agbi.com: Staffing levels in Saudi Arabia surged in February as companies prepare for growth opportunities ahead. But it was a different story in neighbouring Kuwait and Egypt where jobs were lost in the face of a slowdown in new orders, according to the latest business sentiment surveys. Employment numbers in Saudi Arabia increased at the quickest rate in 16 months in February. The manufacturing and services sector in particular experienced significant growth, according to the seasonally adjusted Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a monthly indicator of conditions in the non-oil economy. The index fell from a decade-high of 60.5 in January to 58.4 last month, but remains well above the 50.0 mark that separates economic growth from contraction.
