Prime Highlight
- Finance, banking, and fintech professionals in the UAE earn about 24% above the market average, making them the highest-paid sector.
- Technology roles in AI, data science, and cybersecurity are also in high demand, driving wages upward due to a shortage of talent.
Key Facts
- Tourism and hospitality workers earn 19% below the market average, while construction salaries are 13% lower, reflecting uneven growth across industries.
- UAE’s economy is expected to expand 4.5% in 2025, supported by government spending, Emiratisation programs, and strong hiring trends in real estate and aviation.
Background
Salaries in the UAE are showing wide variations across industries as the nation heads into 2025, with finance, banking, and fintech leading the way. A new report shows that professionals in these sectors take home about 24 per cent more than the market average. Energy and utilities follow, with salaries about 20 per cent higher than the median.
Technology is becoming a competitive area, too, and artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity skills are some of the most popular. Analysts report that the lack of talent in these fields is increasing wages and making the field appealing to job seekers.
However, not all industries are seeing the same growth. Employees in hospitality and tourism earn nearly 19 per cent below the market average. Construction workers also remain behind, with wages 13 per cent lower. Retail and consumer services are about 11 per cent under the median, while real estate is 5 per cent below.
The rise in salary has been moderate but steady. The growth is set to remain within the range of 4 per cent in 2025, although the cost of living will be on the increase. Pay is now seen to be being replaced by broader total rewards by many companies. These will consist of pensions, support towards mental health, flexible working, and career development to entice and retain talent.
The UAE economy alone is projected to expand at 4.5 per cent by 2025 due to huge government spending, including a 1.7 billion fund to invest in Emiratisation. Real estate and aviation are already showing promising trends in hiring, and Emirates and Etihad are at the forefront of new recruitment efforts.
Experts say that while tech and finance will remain top-paying industries, the overall wage growth could stay limited due to fast population growth and rising competition for jobs.
