This new UAE salary guide will tell you how much you should be earning

According to The National, a new report released by recruitment specialist firm Michael Page last week details the salary range for a variety of sectors and jobs in the Middle East.

Salaries will not increase to offset January’s introduction of value added tax (VAT) in the UAE, according to several recruitment firms.

However, with housing and education not affected by the VAT, experts predicted an average rise in the cost of living of about 1.5 percent. Some goods and services in the UAE - and later the wider GCC area - will have a 5 percent VAT added from January 1.

In a separate GCC salary and employment report published by HAYS, another recruitment firm based in the Middle East, the company found that 37 percent of employers reported a reduction in headcount in their organization last year.

It added that 4 percent of employees were made redundant in 2016 compared to 2 percent in 2015.

Also, 9 percent of survey respondents experienced a pay cut, whilst 52 percent reported their salaries to remain the same and 39 percent saw an increase. Overall, 72 percent of organizations plan to recruit additional headcount in 2017. 

Roughly 55 percent of employees will consider changing jobs in the next 12 months (similar to 57 percent in 2016). The majority of employers (82 percent) anticipated salaries within their organization to either remain the same or increase by up to 5 percent in 2017.