Salaries vary widely in Dubai, depending on your qualifications and negotiation skills. Dubai has no minimum wage rates or standardized salaries, and salaries are usually similar to, or greater than those paid in western nations. Salaries also vary widely depending on nationalities, qualifications, experience, employee history and other random factors.
Salary packages are mostly dependent on your negotiation skills. For instance, an executive secretary may be paid more than a product sales representative within the same company, and even two secretaries working on same jobs can have different salary packages.
The UAE Federal Labour Law and the Emirate of Dubai does not have the provision for minimum wages, and your basic salary is what is a negotiated rate stipulated in your labour contract.. The amount is important, as it is the basis of calculation for your end-of-service gratuity pay.
Range of salaries for various jobs
There are a range of jobs in Dubai that are much the same as in any city, but the range of incomes are larger than those otherwise familiar by expats for several reasons.
Given below is the latest salary range for jobseekers in various sectors including banking, technology, sales, oil and gas, accounting, property, construction, office support and human resources.
Banking
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Group Chief Financial Officer | 93,000 – 1,34,000 |
| Director - Finance | 52,000 – 72,000 |
| Head of Internal Audit | 52,000 – 67,000 |
| Director – Treasury | 52,000 – 67,000 |
| Financial Controller | 36,000 – 52,000 |
| Head of Private Banking | 140,000 – 175,000 |
| Market Head / Managing Director (over 15yrs exp’) | 124,000 – 144.000 |
| Executive Director (over 10yrs exp.) | 80,000 – 103,000 |
| Relationship Manager (over 5yrs exp) | 46000 – 62,000 |
| Head of Wealth Management | 77,000 – 110,000 |
| Head of Department / Unit | 72.000 – 82.000 |
| Team Leader (various sectors) | 67,000 – 77,000 |
| Chief Compliance Officer | 96,000 -118,000 |
| Senior Manager / Banking Supervisor | 47,000 – 54,000 |
| Manager – Treasury | 41,000 – 52,000 |
| Manager - Finance | 31,000 – 46,000 |
| Chief Accountant | 21,000 – 31,000 |
| Finance / Business Analyst | 15,000 – 26,000 |
| Head of Corporate Banking | 90,000 – 113,000 |
| Relationship Manager | 35,000 – 46,000 |
| Chief Risk Officer | 74,000 – 96,000 |
| Head of Collections and Recovery | 56,000 – 69,000 |
Legal
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Partner (over 5yrs) | 124000 - 258000 |
| Counsel | 77000 - 103000 |
| Senior Associate | 52000 – 77000 |
| Associate | 41000 – 62000 |
| Paralegal | 18000 – 31000 |
| Legal Secretary | 15000 - 26000 |
Oil and Gas
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Contractor | 32000 - 45000 |
| Consultancy | 32000 - 45000 |
| operator | 35000 – 56000 |
| Oilfield Services | 25000 - 41000 |
| Construction / Installation Manager | 35000 - 50000 |
| Drilling Manager | 35000 – 55000 |
| Cost Manager | 30000 - 42000 |
| Health and Safety Manager | 25000 - 40000 |
| Logistics Manager | 20000 - 35000 |
| Marine / Naval Manager | 32000 – 45000 |
| Petrochemicals Manager | 35000 – 50000 |
Public Sector
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Undersecretary | 128000 - 180000 |
| Executive Director | 92700 - 144000 |
| Assistant Undersecretary | 103000 - 129000 |
| Chief HR Officer | 82400 - 124000 |
| Chief Communications Officer | 67000 - 98000 |
Technology & Telecommunications
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Architect (Cyber Security) | 41000 – 52000 |
| IT Project Manager | 36000 – 52000 |
| Head of IT / Manager | 36000 – 46000 |
| AI / ML Engineer | 31000 – 46000 |
| IT Infrastructure Manager | 36000 – 46000 |
| Data Engineer | 26000 - 41000 |
| Chief Digital Officer | 93000 – 124000 |
| Chief IT Officer | 93000 – 113000 |
| Data Science – Head | 62000 – 77000 |
| IT Director | 62000 – 72000 |
| Data Scientist | 41000 – 52000 |
| Data Analyst | 26000 – 41000 |
| Network Manager | 19000 – 23000 |
| Director | 85000 – 110000 |
| Senior Manager | 41000 – 48000 |
| Manager | 31000 – 36000 |
| Business Analyst | 11000 - 14000 |
| IT Administrator | 12,850 – 30,000 |
| IT Support Manager | 23,800 – 38,250 |
Senior Finance and Tax
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Internal Audit / Audit Manager (Head) | 36000 – 46000 (SMEs) 52000 – 67000 (MNCs) |
| Chief Accountant | 12000 – 19000 (SMEs) 21000 – 31000 (MNCs) |
| Business / Finance Analyst | 10000 – 15000 (SMEs) 15000 – 26000 (MNCs) |
| Internal Auditor | 12000 – 19000 (SMEs) 15000 – 26000 (MNCs) |
Sales and Marketing
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| General Manager | 57000 – 72000 |
| Country Manager | 41000 - 52000 |
| Regional Manager | 31000 - 41000 |
| Area Manager | 21000 – 31000 |
| Sales Manager | 21000 - 31000 |
| Sales Executive | 8000 – 15000 |
| Business Development Manager | 21000 - 27000 |
| Sales Representative | 15000 - 21000 |
Manufacturing and Supply Chain
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| General Manager | 60,000 – 93,000 |
| Operations Manager | 20,000 – 36,000 |
| Logistics Manager | 15,000 – 26,000 |
| Head of R&D | 34,000 – 46,000 |
| Factory/plant Manufacturing Manager | 28,000 – 41,000 |
| Production Manager | 28,000 – 36,000 |
Human Resources
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Chief HR Officer | 103,000 – 134,000 |
| HR Vice President | 82,000 – 113,000 |
| HR Manager | 31,000 – 41,000 |
| Recruitment Manager | 19,000 – 26,000 |
Property and Construction
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| General Manager | 65,000 – 100,000 |
| Project Manager | 35,000 – 52,000 |
| Contract Manager | 35,000 – 52,000 |
| Surveyor | 15,000 – 25,000 |
| Civil Engineer | 15,000 – 25,000 |
| Architect | 20,000 – 32,000 |
Office Administration
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Executive Assistant | 19,000 – 31,000 |
| Personal Assistant | 13,500 – 20,000 |
| Office Manager | 20,000 – 31,200 |
| General Administration | 10,000 – 18,000 |
| Receptionist | 10,000 – 15,000 |
Digital
| Designation | Salary Range (Dh./month) |
| Head of Digital Marketing | 40,000 – 60,000 |
| Digital Marketing Manager | 18,000 – 35,000 |
| Social Media Manager | 15.000 – 30,000 |
Future Job Market in UAE
The job market in the UAE will continue to recover this year, as businesses and hiring activities continue to return to pre-pandemic levels, as revealed by recruitment experts. Therefore, salaries too are expected to rise by an average of 3percent to 5 percent, based on the sector, and bonuses too will make a comeback this year. The most common increase will be a growth of 5 percent, said Sarah Dixon, MD of Hays Middle East.
Ever-since the onset of Covid19 pandemic in March 2020, the UAE invested several billion dirhams in its measures to boost economy and support businesses. In the non-oil private sector in UAE, business activity improved to its strongest level in about two and a half years in November, owing to Expo 2020 Dubai, growth in tourism and increased spending amidst economic recovery.
According to ‘Hays 2022 Salary Guide’, 73 percent of UAE employers are hoping to see a growth in salaries as their organisations are like to see in salaries by upto 5 percent this year.
Ms. Dixon noted that the business confidence and hiring activity has grown back to pre-pandemic levels and beyond, as we enter into 2022.
A Mercer report in November 2021 said that employers in the UAE will go on a hiring spree in 2022, and a 3.6 percent rise in salaries are expected amidst the post-coronavirus economic recovery in the UAE.
Meanwhile, the latest ‘Cooper Fitch UAE Salary Guide 2022’ said that out of 600 companies polled in the country, 35 percent of businesses plan to increase salaries by upto 5 percent. It was recorded that 4 percent of companies will offer a raise of 6 to 9 percent for employees, while 5 percent will boost wages by more than 10 percent.
Cooper Fitch, in its Salary Guide also said that UAE firms are planning to offer bonus schemes this year. Among the business leaders surveyed by Cooper Fitch for its salary guide, 74 percent of the companies are planning to offer bonus schemes this year. While 46 percent said they are planning to offer one to two months’ gross salary as bonus, 21 percent said they would pay employees three to five months’ gross salary. All sectors, except real estate and public sector have agreed to pay bonuses in 2022.
Some of the other most common benefits that UAE employers are offering jobseekers include flexible and remote working, educational allowance, airline tickets and family visas.
Among the resilient sectors this year are human resources, technology, healthcare and life sciences, says the ‘UAE Salary Guide and Hiring Insights 2022’ report.
Meanwhile, the Cooper Fitch report also adds that there is also a large activity base expected around technology and artificial intelligence and digital this year, and an overall recovery of UAE markets to pre-covid19 levels is expected.
Meanwhile, the Covid19 pandemic has served as a catalyst for a long-term change in the workplace. Several companies are now allowing employees to work from home full-time or for one to three days a week. Employees too are expecting some form of work-from-home options to be offered as part of a standard employment going ahead.
Conclusion
Earlier, remuneration packages in Dubai were split into various elements- basic salary, car allowance, housing allowance, medical cover, education for children and air tickets for home visits, mobile phone allowance, furnishing allowance and food allowance. Today, however, most employers just tend to pay cash packages to cover all these expenses, although in some cases, there are performances or other bonuses.
What it all boils down to, really, is your ability to negotiate not only a good wage but some desirable (if not necessary) perks along with that salary. To plan your life in Dubai based on your salary, you need to align your expectations with reality. Try to do some salary research online or offline or both. You could also check out listings of Dubai recruitment agencies, check Dubai jobsites, use Dubai salary calculators, cost of living report or read salary survey reports.
Now, this kind of salary research may be sufficient to give you a fair idea of what you are likely to be paid in Dubai, so that you can plan your job in Dubai more safely and accurately.
