The Middle East and North Africa Salary Survey2022, conducted recently by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, in partnership with YouGov, global online market research company, revealed a variety of insights on employees’ perceptions of salaries and benefits.
According to the survey,7 in10 MENA respondents believe that salaries are either increasing or staying the same in their country of residence. At the same time, over half the respondents (53%) expect to receive a raise in2022.
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: “Salary is an integral part of employee reward systems and our research aims to define major factors driving the salary expectations and how they are evolving. The data outlines the evolution of current income structure and levels, salary satisfaction, perception towards cost of living and expense allocation, providing an insight to the job market and the economy.”
Salaries and Benefits
In terms of salary,40% of respondents state that their current salary package consists of basic salary and benefits, while41% state it consists of the basic salary only.17% said they receive a basic salary as well as a commission and benefits.
Among the various benefits employees receive, personal medical insurance (34%), transportation allowance (21%), family medical insurance (18%) and bonus (17%) are found to be the top benefits in the MENA region. As for end of service benefits,34% of respondents state that they receive end of service gratuity, while20% receive pension on retirement, and9% receive other forms of benefits.
When it came to the preferred pay structure, nearly6 in10 MENA respondents (57%) said they prefer a100% fixed pay structure, and almost3 in10 (28%) prefer a partially fixed pay structure with a variable pay for commissions and incentives.
Finances and Expenses
Almost half of respondents (46%) manage to save a portion of their personal income and over1 in5 respondents (23%) repatriate some of their savings to their home country. Among those who invest regularly,26% do so by investing in their own business.
In terms of quality of life, more than6 in10 (62%) respondents in the MENA believe they are better off or about the same as other people of a similar generation in their country of residence.
Drivers of Loyalty
Interestingly,35% claim that their loyalty to their company is not linked to the salary they receive. Yet,19% regard their loyalty is completely linked to the salary. Apart from salary, the nature of daily responsibilities (29%), training and development opportunities (27%) and opportunities for career advancement (27%) also drive loyalty.
When asked about their career plans in the next twelve months,45% of MENA respondents said they will look for a better job in the same industry and32% said they plan to look for a better job in a different industry.
Respondent Profile
Among those surveyed,68% of the respondents have been working with their current employer for6 years or less, with39% have been working for their employer for less than3 years. Further,46% of the respondents have been working in their current industry for up to six years.
In their current role,61% of the respondents are in between fairly senior level and midway of seniority. In fact, half of the respondents (50%) have up to10 people report directly and indirectly to them.
Zafar Shah, Research Director at YouGov said: “The latest salary survey illustrates the job market from employees’ perspective, who are able to thrive with the constant and rapid pace of change within the job market. While financial rewards are key to attracting talent into organizations, non-financial rewards can be essential differentiators when it comes to retaining talent and developing a more engaged, productive workforce.”
Data for the Middle East and North Africa Salary Survey2022 was collected online from19 January to2 February2022. Results are based on a sample of4,771 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan among others.