Almost 50% of UAE workers expect salaries to rise in next six months

Almost half of UAE workers (47 per cent) expect to earn “better” compensation in the next six months, according to a new survey by jobs site Bayt.com and research company YouGov.

The survey also found that 38 per cent expect their compensation to remain the same, while 15 per cent said it could get worse in the next six months.

Looking at the current availability of jobs, more respondents believe that there are currently “plenty of jobs available across various industries” in comparison to those who believe there are “few jobs available across few industries”, the report said. It did not specify numbers.

Meanwhile, 50 per cent of UAE respondents are satisfied about their career growth opportunities and 24 per cent are neutral.

The survey also found that 53 per cent of respondents expect career growth opportunities to get better over the next six months, 35 per cent anticipate conditions to remain the same, and 12 per cent believe they could get worse.

In terms of work-life balance, 48 per cent said they were satisfied, while 24 per cent were neutral.

When asked about their personal financial conditions, 63 per cent said their family’s financial position is hoped to “improve” in the next six months, 24 per cent expect their financial conditions to “remain the same as it is now,” while 12 per cent think they will get worse.

The survey also polled UAE respondents about business conditions in the UAE.

Looking at current business conditions, 82 per cent think they are “good”, “very good”, or “average”.

Meanwhile, within the next year, nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of respondents expect business conditions to improve, 17 per cent said they expect no change while 9 per cent said they could get worse.

Anjali Chhabra, senior research manager, YouGov, said: “The majority of respondents are anticipating significant improvements in business conditions and availability of jobs. If this holds true, it will surely reflect positively in many other areas in the economy.”

Data for the survey was collected online from August 1, 2017 to August 24, 2017.