UAE: Why some employees want to quit jobs; rising costs rank higher than career growth
About 70% of employees in the UAE claim that the rising cost of living is outpacing their salaries, and many are thinking of quitting their jobs in the next three months, stated a new study.
The recently conducted study by Korn Ferry uncovered that nearly two in three employees, or 66%, are dealing with this troubling scenario. Moreover, the greater the imbalance between earning and costs, the higher the likelihood of resignation.
To this, they are now changing how they assess available opportunities and focusing more on the total remuneration package, including salary and benefits.
“Like all employees, UAE employees are also facing a steep rise in the costs of living, especially on housing and children’s education. Expenses are mounting, but salary packages haven’t improved over these years, making the reason to leave companies ultimately benefits and pay,” Gandhi said. EMEA Regional Director of Korn Ferry Digital.
The consultancy firm reports in its Workforce 2025 report that as many as 80% of employees in the UAE are willing to shift jobs for better pay and remuneration, along with employment stability and career development.
The survey mentioned that benefits packages and the opportunity to learn are the other two critical aspects that might cause employees to leave their current positions.
Korn Ferry’s 2024 UAE Salary survey of 843 companies shows that the average salary increase is capped at 4 percent. This proves that pay alone is insufficient, as employees also desire additional benefits, job security, and growth.
The GCC Salary Guide 2025 by Hays published earlier this year stated that nearly half, 48 percent of UAE employees surveyed in 2024 received a salary hike and 75 percent of respondents anticipate salary increments in 2025. The predominant range of increases was between 2.5 to 5 percent in 2024.
With expat residents estimated to reach 88.5 percent of the country’s population by 2025, Korn Ferry remarked that the UAE on the other hand continues to rank as one of the world’s highly ethnically diverse as well as competitive markets for human talent.
“It is this expanding expat population that will fuel economic activity – along with a forecast 5 percent annual GDP growth rate – but soaring living expenses, notably in housing and education, are forcing professionals to opt for stability in their next move,” it noted.
Transforming the workforce of the future, Korn Ferry conducted a survey that included more than 15,000 employees across the globe. The survey incorporated employees from an intern to a CEO and spanned over multiple economies – the US, the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan, and India.
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