Fewer UAE professionals are able to successfully negotiate their salaries over the past 12 months amid an increasing influx of international jobseekers moving to the UAE and raising competition in the local market, a new study shows.
In 2025, 49 per cent of employees in the UAE tried to negotiate their pay and 15 per cent were successful, according to Michael Page’s 2026 Salary Guide.
This is a significant drop from 2024, when 64 per cent engaged in salary negotiations and 24 per cent were successful.
“The decline suggests a growing sense of caution among employees,” the report said. “In this evolving employment landscape, clarity around compensation is more important than ever.”
For employers, it helps competitive and fair offers that attract top talent. For professionals, it offers a benchmark to make informed career decisions and negotiate effectively, it said.
The UAE‘s economic growth is creating more opportunities for people and businesses. The economy is projected to outperform the global average this year as it is expected to remain resilient to uncertainty in the global economy, the International Monetary Fund said earlier this month.
The IMF projects the UAE’s gross domestic product to expand at a 4.8 per cent pace this year − driven by strong non-hydrocarbon growth and Opec production increases before expanding at a further 5 per cent rate in 2026.
This projection is slightly below the UAE Central Bank’s forecast for this year of 4.9 per cent.
AI roles in demand
Michael Page’s UAE 2026 Salary Guide points to demand for roles in sectors such as data and analytics. With AI adoption accelerating, organisations are moving from experimentation to proper use of the technology.
That shift is creating more demand for roles including AI engineers, AI product managers and AI-focused data engineers, those who do not simply build models, but integrate AI into business workflows.
“While regional talent availability has grown, advanced AI skill sets remain scarce, making capability building and strategic hiring more critical than ever,” the guide said. “In the UAE, demand for data and AI professionals is intensifying”, with roles in generative AI, machine learning and data engineering growing rapidly.
“Organisations are investing in upskilling initiatives and strategic hiring to meet the region’s AI adoption goals, while seeking professionals who can translate models into business impact,” it added.
Change in mindset
Michael Page’s guide also points to a change in employees’ mindset.
While 52 per cent are satisfied with their current pay, almost two-thirds are open to changing jobs in 2026.
“For most of them, salary is the top driver, but work-life balance and career growth are becoming just as important,” said Jon Ede, managing director for the Middle East at Michael Page. “Employers, in turn, are telling us they’re finding it harder to both recruit and retain.”
The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index in September indicated that non-oil private sector companies in the UAE raised the employment levels at the fastest rate since May, to account for increased business activity.
In Dubai, rising new businesses led to a robust expansion in output and increasing employment across the emirate’s non-oil private sector, the report said.
The rate of job creation was the quickest in a year, with firms showing “much stronger optimism” towards future activity in Dubai, S&P Global said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsSpringsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019
Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital
Top pick: National Commercial Bank
Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects
Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes
Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank
Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates
Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank
Top pick: Arab National Bank
Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence