Female hiring in the UAE has rebounded after hitting its lowest point in April when it fell to 31.3 percent of the total, according to new data.

The LinkedIn statistics showed that the recruitment of female workers recovered above the 2019 average by July when lockdown measures began to ease.

The share of monthly female hires in the UAE saw an upward trajectory from May onwards, reaching 35 percent in July.

At the same time, global figures indicate that women accounted for 40.6 percent of the hiring done in April but recovered to 44.5 percent in June and July.

MENA labour markets are generally characterised by low female participation, according to the Global Gender Gap Index 2020 which is issued by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with LinkedIn.

The UAE is ranked 120th out of 153 countries in the Index.

The coronavirus pandemic has further exaggerated inequalities and challenges for women in the region, according to Moez Doraid, director of the coordination division at UN Women (pictured below).

Women were more likely to be economically effected by the pandemic, says Doraid, because they make the bigger share of services sector employees which is among the sectors which were hit the most by the lockdown restrictions.

They also tend to be more involved in unpaid work, including the care of children and the elderly as well as housework, and hence more effected by their children staying home from school.However, Doraid says the period of lockdown saw men take on more domestic responsibilities as well which could a potential bright spot for economic equality.

Although there has been a slight recovery in terms of hiring, women start from a lower base in most countries and so need to make up for the loss of hire incurred in April and May.

Going forward, LinkedIn recommends that employers be flexible and accommodating with their female employees. “Our ability to avoid more widespread, permanent losses in women’s employment hinges on schools reopening and employers creating more flexible work schedules,” said Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at LinkedIn.

She added: “Without this, we’ll have a very real and serious risk of losing many women from the workforce. The unfortunate reality is that the longer that this goes on, the more women will have to make the impossible choice between caring for their children and their careers. And we know these losses won’t come back easily: women will have to work harder to re-enter once they’re able.”