UAE jobs: Are you being paid enough? Find out with this 2023 salary guide

The hiring sentiment appears to be positive in the UAE and is likely to continue next year, with experts saying recruitment was strong throughout 2022.

“Even the usually (quieter) … mid-summer months showed a very buoyant and active recruitment market,” according to Jon Ede, the UAE’s regional director of recruitment company Michael Page.

“Based on market confidence and, therefore more aggressive growth and diversification plans, organisations have shifted up a gear and their appetite to invest in attracting top talent increased significantly. We are seeing more proactive searches for executive and/or strategic hires.”

This came as Michael Page released its annual Salary Guide and Hiring Insights 2023 for the UAE, highlighting findings related to salary benchmarks, in-demand positions, key skills, and experiences.

“Based on current demand, positivity and local market confidence, the UAE appears to be well-positioned for growth and resilience,” Ede wrote in the introduction to the guide.

The report covers industry disciplines, including banking and financial services; property and construction; oil and gas; procurement and supply chain; engineering and manufacturing; as well as healthcare and life sciences.

Below is a list of key top positions in demand across sectors and corresponding monthly salary scales, as extracted from the guide.

Data for the salary benchmark is derived from the company’s “proprietary database” capturing job advertisements and placements throughout 2022. “It is supplemented with insights from our consultants validated by their interactions with employers and job applicants in the region.”

Banking and financial services

Positions in demand:

- Investments: Senior analyst/Associate/Senior associate growth venture capital & private equity

- Chief financial officer

- Compliance officer

- Fund accountant

- Investor relations

- Finance manager - investments

- Market risk manager

- Operations – middle office (private equity, listed equities, hedge funds)

Monthly salary scale:

- Wholesale banking

Head of wholesale banking (EVP): Dh98,000 to Dh177,000

Senior relationship manager: Dh35,000 to Dh50,000

Relationship officer/assistant relationship manager: Dh15,000 to Dh25,000

- Retail banking

Head of consumer banking (EVP): Dh95,000 to Dh200,000

Manager products/sales: Dh25,000 to Dh40,000

- Insurance

Managing director: Dh50,000 to Dh160,000

Senior associate: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000

- Finance and accounting (investments/funds)

CFO: Dh75,000 to Dh170,000

Senior accountant: Dh16,000 to Dh26,000

Accountant (qualified): Dh14,000 to Dh23,000

Data and analytics

Positions in demand:

- Data management and governance professionals

- Advanced analytics/statistics

- Data engineering professionals

- Senior leadership across data analytics and science

- Data strategy and advisory

Monthly salary scale:

- Chief data officer: Dh80,000 to Dh177,000

- Head/director of data science: Dh55,000 to Dh73,000

- Data analytics manager: Dh95,000 to Dh200,000

- Digital/product analytics manager: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000

- Data architects: Dh14,000 to Dh24,000

- Big data engineer: Dh35,000 to Dh75,000

Digital

Positions in demand:

- Product development

- User experience design

- Digital leadership

- E-commerce specialist

- Performance marketing

Monthly salary scale:

- Head of digital marketing: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000

- Digital marketing manager: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000

- Advertising operations manager: Dh15,000 to Dh25,000

- SEO/SEM manager: Dh18,000 to Dh28,000

- Digital marketing executive: Dh12,000 to Dh18,000

- UX director Dh50,000 to Dh70,000

- Visual designer: Dh15,000 to Dh25,000

- Chief digital officer: Dh60,000 to Dh90,000

- E-commerce Manager: Dh25,000 to Dh35,000

Engineering and manufacturing

Positions in demand:

- CEO

- General manager

- R&D manager

- Sustainability manager

- Plant manager

Monthly salary scale:

- VP: Dh90,000 to Dh150,000

- CEO: Dh80,000 to Dh120,000

- COO: Dh70,000 to Dh110,000

- Managing director: Dh65,000 to Dh100,000

- General manager: Dh60,000 to Dh90,000

- Project director: Dh45,000 to Dh90,000

- Project manager: Dh35,000 to Dh45,000

- Project engineer: Dh10,000 to Dh25,000

- Design manager: Dh15,000 to Dh30,000

Finance and accounting

Positions in demand:

- Commercial finance managers/ fp&a managers

- Compliance/risk/internal audit managers

- Tax managers

- Business controllers/finance controllers

- Chief financial officers/finance director

Monthly salary scale:

- Group/regional CFO: Dh70,000 to Dh200,000

- CFO: Dh69,000 to Dh120,000

- FP&A director: Dh45,000 to Dh70,000

- Finance director: Dh50,000 to Dh80,000

- FP&A manager: Dh27,000 to Dh40,000

- Credit manager: Dh28,000 to Dh50,000

- General ledger accountant: Dh12,000 to Dh22,000

- Payroll manager: Dh18,000 to Dh28,000

- Chief audit officer: Dh53,000 to Dh140,000

- Audit manager: Dh25,000 to Dh45,000

- Tax director: Dh50,000 to Dh110,000

- Tax manager: Dh35,000 to Dh60,000

- Senior tax analyst/associate: Dh25,000 to Dh35,000

Healthcare and life sciences

Positions in demand:

- Nurses and physicians

- Medical scientists

- Sales Representatives

- Regional sales manager

- Regional marketing manager

Monthly salary scale:

- Doctor/physician (surgeon): Dh80,000 to Dh160,000

- Doctor/physician (consultant): Dh40,000 to Dh100,000

- Doctor/physician (specialist): Dh25,000 to Dh40,000

- Nurse: Dh6,000 to Dh15,000

- Medical scientist: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000

- General sales manager: Dh60,000 to Dh110,000

- Regional sales director: Dh50,000 to Dh90,000

- Sales representative: Dh15,000 to Dh25,000

- Chief Marketing Officer: (CMO): Dh65,000 to Dh100,000

- Marketing director: Dh45,000 to Dh80,000

- Regional marketing manager: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000

Human resources

Positions in demand:

- Talent development specialists

- Regional HR manager

- HR business partners

Monthly salary scale:

- VP HR/CHRO: Dh65,000 to Dh90,000

- HR director: Dh55,000 to Dh78,000

- HR manager: Dh30,000 to Dh45,000

- Talent acquisition manager: Dh33,000 to Dh45,000

- Talent acquisition specialist: Dh20,000 to Dh28,000

Procurement and supply chain

Positions in demand:

- Demand and supply planner

- Order to cash manager

- Supplier relationship manager

- Category manager

- Procurement analyst

Monthly salary scale:

- Chief procurement officer: Dh70,000 to Dh150,000

- Procurement manager: Dh25,000 to Dh35,000

- Buyer/procurement specialist/purchasing officer: Dh13,000 to Dh18,000

- Assistant buyer: Dh8,000 to Dh13,000

- Supply planning manager: Dh20,000 to Dh30,000

- Logistics manager: Dh18,000 to Dh30,000

• UAE can offer good opportunities to staff laid off by Meta, Twitter, Amazon