UAE salaries may rise 4% next year

Salaries in the UAE are projected to rise around four per cent next year, but some hard-to-replace employees could see an over 10 per cent increase in renumerations next year, according to recruitment and HR experts.

- Waheed Abbas

In an interview with Khaleej Times, Dr Trefor Murphy, founder and CEO of Cooper Fitch, said the UAE Salary Guide 2026 found that UAE firms plan to increase salaries by 1.6 per cent to four per cent next year.

“When we did a similar kind of survey for 2025, it was found that there would be zero weighted average increase for this year. But when we actually did a survey this year, it was found that salaries in the UAE increased by 2.6 per cent in 2025. So, I’m estimating that, in reality, a salary hike could be between 1.6 per cent and a four per cent increase, based on what they projected and what they actually paid out,” Dr Murphy said during the launch of the UAE Salary Guide 2026.