United Arab Emirates (UAE), a major hub of career, investment, and real estate opportunities, has failed to ensure a better working environment for employees. A recent joint report by a research firm and a job-seeking site, YouGov and Bayt, has revealed that over 61% of employees in the Emirates are dissatisfied with their current jobs and want to switch while remaining within the same industry.
Meanwhile, 34% are discontent with their current industry and 38% intend to relocate to another Middle Eastern country, according to the report.
For the report, 2,941 employees in the UAE were surveyed, of which 29% worked in middle management positions while 23 % were executives.
The findings also clarified that salaries aren’t the main factor behind low retention levels in UAE’s job market, as most of the employees believed that their salaries are increasing or remaining the same and 48% of them do not expect any raise in 2023.
Another report, the Michael Page 2023 Salary Guide and Hiring Insights, published in November last year, showed that 43% of the employees in UAE plan to switch jobs for career development because they think that they’ve reached their limit in their current role.
According to the Research Director of YouGov, Zafar Shah, the survey results demonstrate the situation of the job market from the employee’s view and it will help employers understand what’s best for the worker and the business.
He also stated that despite financial incentives being pivotal to attracting talent, non-financial rewards can also play an important role to retain employees.