Salary Ranges in the UAE
With most developing countries experiencing economic contraction, the Persian Gulf states are attracting more and more professionals from around the world. For decades, the Gulf has been a popular destination for the global workforce--ranging from geologists and engineers to manual laborers and nannies.
However, Asia has been a bigger draw for talent until recently, when both the economy and immigration laws kicked in to cause a reversal of trends. The Gulf, and primarily the United Arab Emirates (UAE), continues to defy this new reality--with stable salary growth across the board.
Trends
Despite a looming global recession, salaries in the UAE continued to rise faster than in other markets. Between 2007 and 2008, average salaries in the UAE rose by 13.6 percent, rivaled closely by Qatar at 12.7 percent. Several professions have proven especially lucrative; all related to the region's energy industry and resource management needs.
Attractive Professions
The biggest pay raises in the UAE have been recorded in the construction business--at over 15 percent. Engineers saw their checks grow by 13 percent between 2007 and 2008. Other job categories with growth of over 10 percent include finance, human resources, IT and administration.
Leading Pay Ranges: Managerial
Construction project managers enjoy a median salary of $325,000 a year, while IT project managers get $220,000 on average. Human resources managers can expect around $180,000 per year. All of these come with significant perks, such as housing, travel expenses and medical benefits.
Leading Pay Ranges: Nonmanagerial
Auditors take in a median salary of $150,000 a year, while office managers are under $100,000. Payroll and bookkeeping personnel earn an average $80,000. High school teachers gained about $120,000 a year, and the employees of global banks got almost $150,000.
Gender Issues
UAE salary ranges continue to display a disparity between men and women--men earned an average of $160,000 per year, while women only received $120,000 in compensation. These numbers don't necessarily reflect pay for the same job, rather the average as a whole.
Leave and Time Off
Because most nonlocal professionals working in the UAE are there as "ex-pats," they receive allowances and benefits far more generous than they would in their native countries for doing the same kind of job. In terms of days off and annual leave, the UAE is also quite appealing--new hires get around 3 weeks of leave a year, while those with more than a year on the job generally get a month off every year.
Considerations
Keep in mind that in addition to cultural and political issues, the UAE is also among the most expensive places in the world to live. While salaries there seem generous by U.S standards, the cost of living is equally as high, so the savings rate and standard of living may not rise that much in real terms.
For example, UAE inflation was more than 15 percent in 2008, and rents there went up by 25 percent. Even so, the majority of international talent who's pleased with working in the UAE appears high--studies show 77 percent want to remain there.
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