Salary satisfaction across the Middle East is looking stable with just3% of residents stating they are highly satisfied with their remuneration,52% saying they are averagely satisfied and45% stating they have low satisfaction, according to a recent research conducted by the Middle East’s number one job site Bayt.com, in conjunction with regional research specialists YouGov Siraj. A peak of5% of professionals highly satisfied with their salaries was witnessed in Kuwait and a low of just2% of professionals highly satisfied in Jordan and Lebanon amongst other countries. Also in Lebanon,46% of respondents witnessed medium satisfaction while52% witnessed low satisfaction.
Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the average monthly salary differs considerably from country to country, the survey found. However, Qatar recorded the highest number of professionals with the biggest salaries, with10% earning USD $8,001 or more each month. Elsewhere in the Gulf region9% of professionals in Bahrain earn more than $8,001 each month, as do6% of professionals in Oman,5% in Kuwait and3% in KSA. In Lebanon, only2% earned this amount.
As in the previous wave, the lowest paid residents in the region are in the North African countries of Algeria, Egypt and Morocco - with the total number of professionals receiving the lowest salary level having risen in each country. This year,56% of residents in Algeria earn under $500 per month compared with50% last year. In Egypt,53% of professionals receive up to $500 per month, along with45% of professionals in Morocco, while only1% of professionals in Morocco earn more than $8,000 per month, as do just1% of professionals in Egypt.
The Middle East Salary Survey, conducted annually by Bayt.com and YouGov Siraj, is designed to look at the current levels of wages and benefits in the region, and to gauge employee opinion and satisfaction levels vis-à-vis the salaries they receive, and how these have kept pace with the cost of living.
“There is a very high demand for accurate figures on salary levels in the Middle East across industries, job roles and career levels as we have witnessed with the tremendous uptake of the Bayt.com online Salary Calculator tool which has been the MENA region’s first pan-regional pan-industrial comprehensive online salary tool,” stated Bayt.com’s VP Sales, Amer Zureikat. “By also conducting this annual comprehensive Middle East and North Africa salary survey which covers professionals across the GCC, Levant and North Africa, we are able to shed timely light on what level of salaries people are earning and whether the Middle East’s professionals are, or indeed are not, satisfied with how much they are paid, in addition to their expectations vis-à-vis future salaries and economic conditions. This year we have seen an increase in the number of the lowest salary professionals in the North Africa region which could indicate that low wages were also part of the reasons that sparked the recent uprise against governments in the region”
The data for the Salary Survey is collated in part by looking at whether average salary increases were in-line with the average rise in the cost of living. As found in previous Bayt.com research, professionals resoundingly felt that the average salary increase did not reflect the rise in the cost of living in any of the surveyed countries. Overall, professionals across the Middle East felt that the cost of living had increased by24.6%, yet the average salary increased by just7.6% - more than two thirds less. This year, the biggest disparity in the increase in living costs compared to salary raise was felt in Lebanon - where respondents felt the cost of living had increased by27.6%, while salaries had increased by just7.1%.
This year’s salary survey also looked at the respondents’ level of satisfaction with the pay rise they received. For the most part, the region’s respondents did not receive a pay rise, with a sizeable38% missing out on a pay rise. In Lebanon, just3% of professionals said they were very happy with their salary increase,5% were very unhappy,18% consider themselves as unhappy, and4% agreed that their pay rise was fair given the economic circumstances.
The survey also looked at what percentage of their salary people manage to save each month. The results showed that a high proportion,42%, do not manage to save any of their monthly salary at all. Jordan and Morocco were the countries where respondents were least likely to save, with60% and52%, respectively, stating that they save no money each month. The best savers were respondents in Qatar -36% of those surveyed managing to save between16% and75% of their salaries each month. In Lebanon,16% save within that range.
Despite the widespread unhappiness with pay rises, the region’s respondents still believe they are better off than others in terms of their quality of life in their country of residence, when compared to their peers. In Lebanon,28% of professionals said they are better off than others, while39% said they were about average. At the other end of the spectrum,29% of respondents said they were worse off than others.
“Employers and employees alike need to look at studies like this to help in gauging both what to pay and what to expect, respectively. However, considering the changes in governments taking place in the region, it is safe to presume that this report’s numbers are bound to change drastically. Indeed, we are living in very interesting times and it will be exciting to see how those times are reflected in terms of employment opportunities. Will people in the region see more satisfaction once the changes they fought for are implemented?” said Sundip Chahal, Chief Operating Officer of YouGov Siraj.
The study additionally revealed that across the Middle East,75% of residents feel they have personally been affected by the global economic crisis. Residents in Jordan -85% - were the hardest hit amongst the surveyed countries, while least affected were respondents in Oman and Morocco, where62% and63% respectively said they have been affected by the crisis. In Lebanon,70% said they were affected while30% said they were not.
Asked their feelings about the current economic climate in terms of the labour market, almost a quarter of respondents,24%, said they feel optimistic that there will be robust economic growth in their country of residence and more jobs available in a year’s time, with just17% feeling pessimistic about the future. Tunisia and Qatar were the most optimistic about the future -38% and31%, respectively said they were feeling very optimistic, while Jordan and Lebanon were the least optimistic with just15% and18% of professionals- respectively- stating they are very optimistic.
“The salary survey serves to paint a clear picture of economic conditions inside a particular country and allows organisations, recruiters and stakeholders across all types of industry to see how salary levels are changing from year to year. By conducting such a survey, we can add value to organisations across the region by giving them an insight into current trends and feelings about the labour market, which can then be used as impetus for affecting change. These surveys are especially useful during these times of turmoil with highly changing circumstances. As such we recommend employers await our next survey that will surely track the region’s recent events,” concluded Zureikat.
Data for the February2011 Salary Survey was collected online in February2011 with8,565 respondents across the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Males and females of all nationalities aged over20 years were included in the survey.