2.10 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

War for talent is back

Dubai's winning the bid to host Expo 2020 proving to be major catalyst for development across all industry segment. (Supplied)

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

In a bid to attract talent, especially local nationals, companies in Dubai are coming up with not just fatter salaries and bonuses, but innovative way to keep their employees satisfied.

According to a report by Mercer, besides the usual health insurance and schooling allowance, companies are now offering unusual perks on the job.

Benefits abound for national workforce to attract them to the private sector. For example, they get a ‘national allowance’ which is an additional allowance to attract them to private companies. Another unique benefit is the ‘lifestyle support’ allowance that provides funds for hiring domestic helpers – housemaids, gardeners, drivers and the likes.

In addition, pay-packages for nationals now include benefits that were, earlier, limited to the expat workforce. Annual tickets for self and family to home country, which are part of most expat packages, are finding their way to nationals’ benefits as well.

“The move to provide unique incentives for employees in a certain country can heighten the pull of global recruits to its work market. By taking into account individual needs in an individual nation, employees maximise on rewards that will be better valued by their workforce,” said Zaid Kamhawi the Mercer Market Leader for IPS business in the Middle East.

“In the UAE, we also witness special benefits for local talent, which rewards nationals for working and succeeding in the private sector,” he added.

This new report is backed by an increasing confidence level in the country, which indicates a much better 2013 for employee in the UAE.
Most experts in the recruitment industry expect a salary hike of more than 5 per cent in the coming years with the valued employees set for better increments.

There is a general trend of salary increase next year but it will be in single digits. It would be 5 to 6 per cent, Trefor Murphy, Managing Director at Morgan McKinley, told this website.

MUST READ: