Salaries in UAE to rise 5% in 2013; Finance sees the highest rises

Average salaries in the UAE are expected to rise by five % this year with professionals in the financial services sector seeing record breaking increases in salaries in 2013.

Higher than average pay rises in Dubai

There is very good news for Dubai job seekers and professionals who are looking to improve their financial situation in 2013. What is this news? Well, according to the latest findings from the Robert Half 2013 UAE Salary Guide UAE is expecting to see a 5% rise in salaries across all sectors, which is much higher than what is being seen in the UK and US where they are expecting to see average pay rises of around 3% in 2013.

Below we have taken a sector by sector look at the report and summarized the findings, so you can see how well your profession is likely to fair for pay rises in 2013.

Finance and Accounting – 5.6% pay increases

There continues to be strong demand for finance and accounting professionals in Dubai and this demand is expected to remain strong throughout the year. This is why the finance sector is seeing the highest forecast salary increase of all sectors at 5.6%. Financial professionals with strong commercial acumen who can drive revenue growth by partnering with other functions within the business are in especially high demand, and will be able to command the highest salaries in 2013.

Human Resources – 5.3% pay increases

The increased demand for hiring across many companies in the UAE is creating increased demand for HR professionals, especially those in the resourcing/hiring arena. This is why Human Resources professionals are forecast to enjoy the second highest salary increases of all sectors in the UAE at 5.3%. Companies are especially interested in recruiting bi-lingual HR Generalists.

Technology –  5.3% pay increase forecast for 2013

There continues to be strong demand for technology  professionals in Dubai and this demand is expected to remain strong throughout the year. This is why the technology sector is seeing the second highest forecast salary increase of all sectors at 5.3%.

There is especially strong demand for Java, .NET developers and security professionals which has arisen as a result of a booming e-commerce sector, which is thought to be experiencing up to 300% annual growth at the moment.

Legal  – 4.1% pay increase forecast for 2013

There remains healthy demand for legal professionals in the UAE and, as a result, the legal sector is expecting to see a healthy 4.1% increase in salaries during 2013. There is expected to be strong demand for specialized in-house counsel. Corporate legal departments will be looking to expand their teams in 2013 to help businesses meet their growth, merger and acquisition objectives.

So, as you can see, the UAE and Dubai is an excellent place to launch, build and develop your career at the moment, because the economy is growing and there is huge inward investment creating demand for talent in most sectors. Good Luck in 2013.

About the author

Kazim Ladimeji is the Director of thecareercafe.co.uk—a resource for start-ups, small business and job seekers. It includes a blog with career and small business advice articles. Kazim is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has been a practising HR professional for 14 years.

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