MoHRE and the Emirates Competitiveness Council have already started implementing fines and penalising companies for falsifying Emiratisation data. The UAE government has accelerated the Emiratisation drive making it mandatory for private sector companies to increase the number of UAE citizens in their workforce. Firms with over 50 employees must have two per cent of skilled employees from the local community; otherwise, violators will be penalised from January 2023.
Grace Eldridge, business manager for Emiratisation, Hays Middle East, says the availability of Emirati talent has increased significantly in recent years, thanks to the ongoing educational initiatives by the government. But there remains a shortage of skilled national talent.
"(It's) a key challenge cited by many of the employers we speak with when it comes to hiring. With demand for UAE nationals expected to pick up this year, this challenge is likely to continue," she said in the latest report on Emiratisation.
Eldridge added that firms should consider hiring more candidates at a graduate level and implement specific learning and development programmes to upskill them for the business's future success.
"Different from previous years, we are seeing an increasing number of jobs available to UAE nationals within senior leadership positions due to the latest decrees," Hays said in its latest Emiratisation Salary Guide 2022.
Salary
In terms of salaries, the Emiratisation Salary Guide 2022 revealed that the majority, 59 per cent, of UAE nationals' salaries remained the same in 2021 as in 2020, it increased 32 per cent, and 9 per cent saw drop in salary.
The survey found that 50 per cent of UAE nationals anticipated a pay increase in 2022, while 48 per cent remained the same as in 2021 and two expect a decrease.
Released by Hays, below is a salary guide to help companies to employ the UAE national and meet the Emiratisation target:
Audit
Position Salary in dirhams (private sector, monthly)
Head of internal audit - Dh70,000-90,000
Audit manager - Dh55,000-70,000
Audit specialist/associate - Dh20,000-30,000
Finance
CFO - Dh80,000-110,000
Finance director - Dh55,000-75,000
Financial controller - Dh60,000-65,000
Finance manager - Dh40,000-50,000
Senior accountant - Dh23,000-35,000
Accountant - Dh20,000-28,000
Human resources
Chief HR officer - Dh80,000-110,000
HR director - Dh55,000-75,000
HR, recruitment manager - Dh40,000-55,000
HR specialist - Dh30,000-45,000
HR Assistant - Dh20,000-28,000
Legal
Chief legal officer - Dh80,000-120,000
Head/director of legal - Dh70,000-80,000
Legal advisor - Dh40,000-50,000
Paralegal - Dh25,000-32,000
Legal secretary - Dh20,000-30,0000
Marketing & Communication
VP/chief marketing officer - Dh80,000-110,000
Digital marketing director - Dh75,000-85,000
Head of digital - Dh50,000-65,000
Marketing manager - Dh45,000-55,000
Social media manager - Dh25,000-32,000
Marketing specialist - Dh20,000-30,000
Administration/office support
Officer manager - Dh30,000-35,0000
Executive assistant - Dh25,000-30,000
Personal assistant - Dh20,000-30,000
Admin assistant - Dh18,000-25,000
Sales
Sales director - Dh60,000-75,000
Head of sales - Dh55,000-75,000
Sales manager - Dh40,000-60,000
Sales executive - Dh20,000-40,000
Technology
Chief technology officer - Dh85,000-130,000
IT director - Dh60,000-75,000
IT manager - Dh40,000-55,000
Senior IT engineer - Dh30,000-45,000
IT officer - Dh20,000-28,000
