The average value of salaries in the Middle East is likely to grow by 1% this year.
The GCC region is expected to witness increased demand for public-sector jobs in 2019, especially in IT, legal, finance, banking and HR fields, according to a new survey.
The average value of salaries in the Middle East is likely to grow by 1% this year, mostly notably in the digitalisation sector, the annual survey conducted by recruitment firm Robert Walters indicated.
Nationalisation programmes in the GCC region have greatly affected salary hikes as firms are offering lucrative packages for expatriates for business-critical positions only, while focusing more on recruiting local professionals.
With the rising demand for highly skilled local employees, stronger salary growth is required to attract and retain local talents. Saudi Arabia is projected to witness salary growth at 2% on average in all sectors in 2019.
“The growing demand for nationals will continue to dominate the market as many companies aim to comply with nationalisation legislation. As a result, local market knowledge will be a key differentiator for all professionals across the region,” Robert Walters’ country head for the Middle East Jason Grundy said.
Jobs in the UAE are expected to see stronger growth especially those in accounting and finance with the recovery of oil prices and improvement of investment climate ahead of Expo 2020, Grundy added.
With the projected 7.4% rise in Saudi expenditures this year and with strict Saudisation regulations, firms will focus on hiring more local talents with international experience.
Recruitment of Saudi nationals doubled in 2018, Grundy noted, expecting this trend to continue this year.
In Bahrain, the introduction of the value-added tax (VAT) earlier in 2019 is expected to prompt firms to raise the number of tax manager positions.
The UAE will also see higher demand for banking and financial roles with the implementation of the new International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 9) on 1 January, the survey said.
With the spread of digital transformation across all industries, demand will increase for technology professionals with experience in digital projects, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning especially from North America and Europe.
Highly skilled technology talents are expected to see salary hikes between 10% and 15%.
Despite projected limited expansion of teams, this year will see significant hiring movement as turnover rates are expected to rise, with the energy and disputes and construction increasing their recruitment. As for legal roles, Dubai will be used as a training seat rotation for law firms, allowing candidates to have experience in the Middle East before moving, decreasing the need for permanent recruitment.
In addition, firms in the UAE will seek local talents in order to comply with Emiratisation policies.
Marketing positions will also see higher demand, especially in beauty cosmetics, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and food and beverage sectors.
While salaries for sales jobs are expected to remain unchanged, higher commission packages will be offered amid the accelerated growth of online shopping.
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