Nearly half (44 per cent) of the respondents to a survey in the UAE believe that salaries are increasing in the country, while 24 per cent believe that they are staying the same.

Current salary

In terms of current salary package composition, more than half (58 per cent) of those surveyed in the UAE receive a basic salary as well as benefits in their compensation package, according to the “2017 Bayt.com Middle East and North Africa Salary Survey”, conducted by Bayt.com, a leading job site in the Middle East, and YouGov, a leading market research agency.

Almost one in five (18 per cent) of those surveyed actually receive their basic salary plus benefits and commission. Just under a quarter (24 per cent) of respondents only receive a basic salary.

Of those receiving additional benefits, personal medical insurance (52 per cent) was the top benefit received, followed by personal annual ticket (37 per cent), and transportation allowance (30 per cent).

When it comes to end of service benefits in the UAE, 63 per cent stated that their company offers an end-of-service gratuity, and 10 per cent claim they will receive a pension on retirement. 7 per cent claim to have other forms of benefits. However, 24 per cent of respondents state that they do not receive any end of service benefits.

About 21 per cent of UAE respondents claim that their loyalty is completely linked to the salary they earn, while nearly one third (31 per cent) claim that salary it is not linked to loyalty at all. Besides salary, opportunities for career advancement (34 per cent) and the nature of daily responsibilities (33 per cent) emerged as the most important factors driving employee loyalty in the UAE.

In terms of equal pay, while four in ten respondents (40 per cent) claim they “Don’t know/can’t say”, a large proportion (35 per cent) believed that men and women are paid equally for doing the same work and in the same position.

“With salary being such an important factor for both employees and job seekers, we hope that the Bayt.com Salary Survey 2017 will shed light on salaries, savings, and spending in the Middle East,” said Suhail Masri, VP – Employer Solutions, Bayt.com.

“We conduct tens of comprehensive research reports each year in line with our mission as an organization, which is to provide people with the tools and information they need to build their lifestyle of choice. This survey was created in order to provide employers with insights into current employee satisfaction levels when it comes to their salaries and raises.”

Pay raises

In 2016, a third (44 per cent) of respondents in the UAE received a salary raise, while 48 per cent of those surveyed did not receive a pay raise at all. Of those who did receive a raise, 49 per cent were very happy or modestly happy with their raise.

52 per cent of respondents in the UAE expect to receive a salary raise in 2017.

Future plans and expectations

Over half of UAE respondents (55 per cent) claim that they are planning on finding a better job in the same industry within the next 12 month, while 45 per cent stated that they will be looking for a better job in a new industry. Only 15 per cent of UAE respondents will look for a better job in a different country in the Middle East.

When asked about salary trends, 44 per cent of respondents believe that salaries are increasing in the UAE. According to respondents, factors causing salaries to increase include good corporate performance/increased profitability (33 per cent), inflation/rise in the cost of living (32 per cent), and growth in opportunities and economic growth in the country (28 per cent).

“For people interested in more specific information about salaries, tools such as Salary Search by Bayt.com can help employers uncover the salaries that are being paid in their industry,” said Masri.

“The same tool helps professionals gauge their earnings against market average, and thus, learn whether or not they are being fairly paid for the job they are doing. The information collected through this survey is important when it comes to guiding both employers and job seekers, so that the difference between salaries offered and expectations can be successfully addressed.”

Expenses and savings

With regards to the rising cost of living in the UAE, a fifth (19 per cent) of respondents has seen their cost of living increase between 6 per cent and10 per cent. Respondents claim to have seen an increase in their rent (74 per cent), food and beverage (59 per cent), and utilities (57 per cent). Another 36 per cent of respondents say they have also experienced increases in education, and 32 per cent mentioned entertainment as one of the cost increases. When it comes to the future, the majority (71 per cent) of respondents believe that the cost of living in the UAE is going to increase in 2017.

That being said, 64 per cent of respondents in the UAE still manage to save a portion of their income and 63 per cent manage to repatriate a portion of their salary to their home country.

Investments and home ownership

The top monthly expenses of respondents in the UAE were rent (46 per cent), food and dining out (15 per cent), and Education / Children's schooling / Books (10 per cent).When asked about the frequency of eating out, 20 per cent of respondents said they eat out every day, 26 per cent said they eat out a few times a week, and the rest do so less often.

In the UAE, the most popular choice for monthly investments among those surveyed includes investing in their own business (21 per cent), and gold (15 per cent). 23 per cent of UAE respondents make financial investments on a regular basis, and a third already own their home (32 per cent).Among those who do not own a home, 43 per cent are interested in owning a home in their country of residence, and 64 per cent would like to own a home in their home country.

Elissavet Vraka, research manager, YouGov, said: “It is interesting to note that 64 per cent of UAE respondents manage to save a portion of their monthly income, with63 per cent of those living outside their home country being able to repatriate a portion of their savings to their home country. This is a good sign for both employers and job seekers, as the ability to save and repatriate savings can impact other factors such as employee satisfaction and loyalty towards the company.” – TradeArabia News Service