56% UAE Employees Are Unhappy With Their Salaries

Up to 56 per cent of employees in the UAE are dissatisfied with their salary packages while 53 per cent are unable to maintain a good work-life balance, according to a study.

The survey, conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov, found that around 37 per cent of respondents in the UAE were content about their potential career growth while 46 per cent were satisfied with their job security.

The majority of the respondents were also found to be satisfied about the work timings and training opportunities provided to them by their employer.

Almost 56 per cent of those polled said that the best salary package in the UAE was offered in the oil and gas industry while 30 per cent of the respondents believed that government careers paid the best.

Around 44 per cent of respondents said that the oil and gas industry offered the best potential for career growth, followed by the banking and finance sector.

Government jobs and the oil and gas sector were found to offer the highest level of job security in the UAE, the survey found.

Construction, banking and finance, and media were found to be the most stressful industries to work in. Around 32 per cent of those polled said that construction is considered to have the longest working hours.

“Within the UAE, it is very clear which industry is the most preferable, though interestingly the majority of regional respondents are keen to find employment in the IT, electronics and telecommunications industry rather than in oil, gas and petrochemicals,” said Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov.

The survey also found that the majority of women in the UAE were attracted to the banking sector, followed by education and healthcare.

Around 55 per cent of Emiratis polled said that they preferred to work in government service while 35 per cent of them opted for oil and gas careers.

Dubai’s successful bid to host Expo 2020 is expected to heavily impact the local job market with around 277,000 jobs predicted in the next few years.

The salaries in the UAE are also forecast to rise by five per cent in 2014, according to a study by Aon Hewitt.