How Do the Average Salaries in Dubai Stack Up?

Dubai is one of the world’s emerging economies thanks in part to the huge tourism boom that the UAE region has experienced and the attraction the desert country has for foreign investment. The average salary for a worker in Dubai is AED 122,131 annually. The ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has a net worth of approximately $4.5 billion, which far supersedes the rate of the average worker – and vastly exceeds the salary per year of many of the other state leaders in the OECD. But what is the average wage for the major sectors of industry in Dubai?

dubai salary infographic

Source: https://www.ig.com/uk/forex/research/pay-check

What are the Major Sectors in Dubai?

According to official statistics, the biggest sector in Dubai is the Services sector – which contains hospitality, real estate and transport and Storage. Indeed, this tallies well with the half a million visitors that grace the Middle Eastern nation every year. Employees will be needed to provide hotels and service staff as well as properties for people to invest in. Dubai attracts a lot of foreign investment in these areas due to the near guarantee of tourism. The trade sector is the next largest, and this includes financial trade as well as the trade of physical goods. Indeed, forex trading has increased and many people are learning how to trade forex online in order to take advantage of stable currencies against those that might be less stable – such as the GBP, USD and EUR. The construction and manufacturing sectors round out where the GBP for Dubai is generated from – which makes sense given the need for new hotels and properties, as well as homemade products that will bring down the cost of importing them, as would have happened in the 1960s.

dubai

Source: Pixabay

What is the Average Wage of Each Sector?

Those in the hospitality sector could be expected to make around AED 18,000 per year for working a lower level job, while those in management take home around AED 72,000. An estate agent could be expected to make around AED 67,200 per year, while a construction worker typically makes between AED 6,000 and 18,000 per year, depending on the work. The most popular employers in Dubai are the Emirates Group, which pays on average AED 171,681; Emirates Airlines, with a higher salary of AED 117,853; and Landmark Group with an average salary of AED 161,777. This reflects the major sectors in the country. While this figure may pale in comparison to that of the Sheikh, the government is actively attempting to increase the pay of workers in Dubai, understanding that a good workforce produces good results, which can only reflect well on the country as a place to visit or invest in.

uae salary

Source: Pixabay

Comparing the salary of the average workers in Dubai can be informative in terms of understanding how much people are paid compared to one another, but comparing the average salary to that of the ruler is futile, especially given the responsibilities and pressures that come with such a large pay packet. Dubai’s GDP is healthy and the country is expecting greater tourism, which looks to improve the lives of those who live and work there.