Emirati talent has increased significantly in recent years due to the ongoing educational initiatives by the government
The UAE government has accelerated the Emiratisation drive making it mandatory for private sector companies to increase the number of UAE citizens in their workforce. Firms with over 50 employees must have two per cent of skilled employees from the local community; otherwise, violators will be penalised from January 2023.
In fact, the MoHRE and the Emirates Competitiveness Council have already started implementing fines and penalising companies for falsifying Emiratisation data.
Grace Eldridge, business manager for Emiratisation, Hays Middle East, says the availability of Emirati talent has increased significantly in recent years, thanks to the ongoing educational initiatives by the government. But there remains a shortage of skilled national talent.
"(It's) a key challenge cited by many of the employers we speak with when it comes to hiring. With demand for UAE nationals expected to pick up this year, this challenge is likely to continue," she said in the latest report on Emiratisation.
Eldridge added that firms should consider hiring more candidates at a graduate level and implement specific learning and development programmes to upskill them for the business's future success.
"Different from previous years, we are seeing an increasing number of jobs available to UAE nationals within senior leadership positions due to the latest decrees," Hays said in its latest Emiratisation Salary Guide 2022.
In terms of salaries, the Emiratisation Salary Guide 2022 revealed that the majority, 59 per cent, of UAE nationals' salaries remained the same in 2021 as in 2020, it increased 32 per cent, and 9 per cent saw drop in salary.
The survey found that 50 per cent of UAE nationals anticipated a pay increase in 2022, while 48 per cent remained the same as in 2021 and two expect a decrease.
Released by Hays, below is a salary guide to help companies to employ the UAE national and meet the Emiratisation target:
Audit
Position | Salary in dirhams (private sector, monthly) |
Head of internal audit | Dh70,000-90,000 |
Audit manager | Dh55,000-70,000 |
Audit specialist/associate | Dh20,000-30,000 |
Finance
CFO | Dh80,000-110,000 |
Finance director | Dh55,000-75,000 |
Financial controller | Dh60,000-65,000 |
Finance manager | Dh40,000-50,000 |
Senior accountant | Dh23,000-35,000 |
Accountant | Dh20,000-28,000 |
Human resources
Chief HR officer | Dh80,000-110,000 |
HR director | Dh55,000-75,000 |
HR, recruitment manager | Dh40,000-55,000 |
HR specialist | Dh30,000-45,000 |
HR Assistant | Dh20,000-28,000 |
Legal
Chief legal officer | Dh80,000-120,000 |
Head/director of legal | Dh70,000-80,000 |
Legal advisor | Dh40,000-50,000 |
Paralegal | Dh25,000-32,000 |
Legal secretary | Dh20,000-30,0000 |
Marketing & Communication
VP/chief marketing officer | Dh80,000-110,000 |
Digital marketing director | Dh75,000-85,000 |
Head of digital | Dh50,000-65,000 |
Marketing manager | Dh45,000-55,000 |
Social media manager | Dh25,000-32,000 |
Marketing specialist | Dh20,000-30,000 |
Administration/office support
Officer manager | Dh30,000-35,0000 |
Executive assistant | Dh25,000-30,000 |
Personal assistant | Dh20,000-30,000 |
Admin assistant | Dh18,000-25,000 |
Sales
Sales director | Dh60,000-75,000 |
Head of sales | Dh55,000-75,000 |
Sales manager | Dh40,000-60,000 |
Sales executive | Dh20,000-40,000 |
Technology
Chief technology officer | Dh85,000-130,000 |
IT director | Dh60,000-75,000 |
IT manager | Dh40,000-55,000 |
Senior IT engineer | Dh30,000-45,000 |
IT officer | Dh20,000-28,000 |
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Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.