UAE jobs: Recruiters say many jobseekers willing to take 30 per cent pay cut

Economic turmoil in residents’ home countries – and a desire to stay in the Emirates – means some will take a hit on earnings

TEACHER/LECTURER: The average salary in UAE is Dh9,000 with lows of Dh4,000 and highs of Dh21,000. Headteachers earn an average of Dh46,000 with highs of Dh75,000. University staff are typically well paid, with assistant professors and full lecturers earning between Dh20,000 and Dh40,000. AFP

FLIGHT CREW: Salaries for cabin crew and aircraft technicians range from Dh6,000 to Dh23,000. Pilots can usually secure between Dh20,000 to Dh60,000, depending on experience. EPA

FOOD AND DRINK: The average salary for a bartender, waiter or supervisor is Dh4,000 to Dh5,000, rising to Dh7,500 to Dh8,500 for managers. Chefs and head chefs can expect to take home between Dh6,000 to Dh38,000. Hotels often provide staff accommodation. Hollie Adams / Getty Images

ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING: A flooded market with basic accountants often earning Dh5,000 to Dh10,000. Senior auditors can earn Dh30,000 or more. Accountants who move into finance and management can expect significantly higher salaries. Getty Images

CONSTRUCTION: Engineering jobs have been hit hard by a downturn in the sector, but it remains a skilled and respected profession. Junior salaries for site inspectors and engineers begin at a few thousand dirhams, rising to Dh45,000 or more for construction managers. Gulf Talent says salaries in Saudi are higher than the UAE in some roles. Sammy Dallal / The National

NURSES: The true heroes of the pandemic, these professionals worked around the clock to treat patients and save lives. Salaries range between Dh4,000 to Dh14,500 and can be higher for senior nurses in higher-end private hospitals. AFP

HEALTH AND SAFETY: Health and safety has become a key priority. Junior roles in this sector can take home, on average, about Dh5,500 a month. That rises to Dh22,500 for managerial positions. Victor Besa / The National

HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR: Non-medical staff are currently in demand as the role of managing patients, their documents, payment and test results is increasingly crucial. Salaries vary but can be in the same region as nurses. Reem Mohammed / The National

CYBERSECURITY: The threat posed by cybercrime has never been more real, with the sale of financial assets, documents and medical records a lucrative business. Systems analysts and software engineers can earn Dh25,000 or more, rising significantly for those with high-end cybersecurity experience. Unsplash

Recruiters expect to see a jobs boom in the coming months as economic confidence grows and companies expand or replace laid-off employees. Getty Images

SALES AND MERCHANDISING: As the economy slowly picks up, the retail sector will be looking to fill key roles again soon. Gulf Talent lists sales staff salaries from Dh1,500 to Dh3,500. A sales merchandiser can take home twice that each month. Paulo Vecina / The National

HOTELS: A duty manager at a hotel can earn anywhere from Dh6,000 to Dh26,000 per month. Front of house staff, including concierge, can take take home between Dh1,500 to Dh9,000. Staff accommodation is typically provided. Sarah Dea / The National

LEGAL: Lawyers and legal advisors can earn between Dh7,500 to Dh37,500. That rises to more than Dh53,000 for legal counsel positions, though the average sits at about Dh20,500. Jeff Topping / The National

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION: Jobseekers for secretarial and receptionist roles can expect salaries ranging from Dh2,500 to Dh8,000. Personal assistants and office managers fare better, from Dh4,500 up to Dh22,500 for higher-end firms. Getty Images

Recruiters have seen a steady rise in vacancies in the past two months – with roles in finance, marketing, health care and education most in demand.

The National canvassed recruitment companies across the country which said they expected the job market to rally in late 2020 and early 2021.

In some sectors, jobseekers looking for mid-level to senior positions are willing to take a salary cut up to 30 per cent to stay in the region.

The trend is a reflection of the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic in many residents’ home countries – and, more positively, a fall in the price of renting a home.

Demand for nurses and hospital administrators, who can earn Dh8,000 to Dh17,000 per month , remains strong, while cybersecurity analysts can earn Dh30,000 or more.

“We have seen a big shift in vacancies and hiring over the past six to eight weeks,” said David Mackenzie, managing director of recruitment firm Mackenzie Jones.

“It is exactly like it was in 2008 and 2009. There was a big dip then a sudden uptake, which we are expecting by the end of the year.”

“At the moment we are more focused on opportunistic recruitment.”

Redundancies and non-renewal of contracts has led to many expats departing in the past few months, though some have begun to return in recent weeks.

In turn, that has resulted in jobseekers being “more pragmatic about their salaries”, Mr Mackenzie said.

“Salaries have fallen by about 30 per cent across the board,” he said.

“As an example, an HR director who was on about Dh70,000 to Dh80,000 per month in the UAE is now willing to take about Dh50,000 to stay in the country.

“We mainly recruit for mid to senior-end jobs but a lot of people have returned to their home countries and we are struggling to fill some roles.

“I think by Q1 of 2021 we will be casting our net externally again, particularly in Europe.”

Most employers looking for new staff have focused on hiring locally due to visa and travel restrictions.

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The National's 2020 jobs guide recap

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As a result of the pandemic, Mackenzie Jones Group has lost about 30 per cent of its recruitment database.

At present, the most in-demand roles on offer are typically better paid, with the top five being in finance and marketing, digital technology, consumer goods, health care and education.

“We have a couple of school start-ups on our database that we have been staffing from scratch, from teachers to administration and marketing roles,” he said.

Mayank Patel, country manager for global recruiter The Adecco Group, said the construction, property, retail and hospitality were the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic.

But it has led to a shift in demand IT, e-commerce, logistics and pharma roles.

“We’ve seen an increase in the hiring numbers for the IT sector and there is a demand for skilled professionals such as software engineers, finance managers, cybersecurity experts and financial planning analysts,” he said.

Healthcare roles, mainly nurses and administration positions, have also been part of that uptake.

As per an online job search, salaries for these roles typically range from about Dh8,000 per month to Dh17,000, depending on position and experience.

Louise Knight, business manager at Gulf Recruitment Group, said the sort of candidates she would usually see looking to move up in their careers have stayed in their current roles for stability.

“They are moving around less until the market gets more stable,” she said.

“Salaries are more stagnant, candidates are being more pragmatic and some are willing to take up to 25 per cent less to secure a role to stay in the region. Many people have gone into survival mode.”

The sharp decline in vacancies and hiring over the past few months reflects the impact of closed offices and reduced hospitality services across the country due to Covid-19.

But with tourism picking up and restrictions eased, businesses are slowly beginning to operate as normal again, which should lead to another recruitment shift by the end of the year.

Jon Ede, regional director for Michael Page Middle East, said he was still seeing demand for high-end niche roles.

“Positions particularly within digital, legal, financial services, healthcare and life sciences for example do continue to have certain niche talent shortages and strategic growth plans,” he said.