UAE mid-level managers paid an average of $95,120 per year – report

Mid-level managers in the UAE are paid the highest salaries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, according to a new report by Willis Towers Watson.

The report found that a typical mid-level manager in the UAE earns a gross base salary of $95,120 a year, compared to a regional average of $57,550.

Saudi Arabia was found to have the second highest gross salary in the MEA region, at an average of $90,331 per annum.

The top two spots were reversed when it came to entry-level workers, the report added.

Entry level professionals earn an average annual salary of $27,403 in Saudi Arabia, while their counterparts in the UAE pocket roughly $25,752 per year.

Across the wider MEA region, the average annual renumeration for entry level staff stood at $15,389.

Median Gross Base Salary for the MEA region, US$ 

The report also found that due to an “attractive tax policy”, the spending capacity for an employee in the UAE was significantly greater than that of many markets across the Middle East and Africa, such as South Africa or Morocco.

When salary figures are adjusted for purchasing power parity, which takes buying power into account, UAE middle managers rank in second place for relative wealth, and entry level professional staff in the UAE rank third.

Median Gross Base Salary for the MEA region, US$

Laurent Leclère, Willis Towers Watson’s senior consultant and data services lead for the Middle East, said: “The effectiveness of direct cash as a reward tool can be impacted by a variety of influences which may behave differently across diverse countries.

“It is interesting to note that UAE managers are the best paid in the MEA region. This is a good sign for both entry levels and middle managers, as the attractive salary packages offered in the UAE will impact other factors such as employee satisfaction and loyalty towards the company, making the UAE an attractive country to develop a professional career.”

Hiring in the Gulf region is set to pickup this year following a challenging 2016 but there is expected to be little growth in salaries, a report by recruiting firm Hays found this week.

In a Q4 survey of 2,700 working professionals and 250 employers in the GCC, the company found that 72 per cent of employers planned on recruiting additional staff in the next 12 months.

Read more: Pickup in Gulf hiring expected in 2017 but salaries to remain stagnant