16 May 2016
Almost three-quarters of respondents to a survey of workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) believe that they are underpaid, while half reported they did not receive a pay rise last year.

The 2016 Bayt.com Middle East and North Africa Salary Survey was carried out online from April 1 to 15 and consisted of 8,158 respondents from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

Of the 2,140 respondents from the UAE, 46 percent said they did not receive a pay rise during 2015, and 64 percent perceive their salary to be below the industry average for their sectors.

When asked which sectors they believe are the highest paying in the UAE, 37 percent said oil, gas and petrochemicals, 30 percent said banking and finance and 29 percent said the aviation sector.

Half of those surveyed said salary is the main driver behind their job loyalty, while 58 percent said they are planning to look for better opportunities over the next 12 months.

In the ongoing debate on equal pay among the sexes, just 27 percent of those surveyed said they believed that men and women are paid equally for doing the same work in the UAE.

Economic slowdown 

Looking to the future, 57 percent of respondents from around the region said they believed the slowdown in economic growth and the steep fall in oil prices would prevent them getting a salary increase this year, while 39 percent cited decreased profitability at their company as the main reason why they are not expected a boost in their take home pay over the next twelve months. 

"It is interesting to note that 61 percent of MENA [Middle East and North Africa] respondents manage to save a portion of their monthly income, with 58 percent of those living outside their home country being able to repatriate a portion of their savings to their home country," said Joao Neves, research director at YouGov, the research firm which carried out the survey said in a statement:

"This is a good sign for both employers and job seekers, as the ability to save and repatriate savings will impact other factors such as employee satisfaction and loyalty towards the company."

(Writing by Shane McGinley)

© Zawya 2016