UAE salaries: which healthcare jobs are in demand and how much do they pay?

The hiring outlook for the UAE’s healthcare and life sciences sector is extremely positive as it continues to recover from Covid-19 headwinds on the back of economic support measures and government initiatives such as an expansion of the Golden Visa programme.

“This is thanks to UAE government initiatives and investments in the sector as well as the location, how the Covid-19 pandemic has been handled and the opportunity for professionals and investors to obtain a Golden Visa,” says Chris Atkinson, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions, which sources professionals for pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

“We are seeing life science companies open regional offices here and have helped quite a few companies headquartered in Turkey, Israel and other countries set up their teams here since mid-2021. We believe the UAE is primed to become a hub for life science companies.”

The Covid-19 pandemic placed the global healthcare sector under immense pressure but this also opened up a range of employment prospects for certain segments of the industry.

Salaries for workers in the UAE’s life sciences sector, which covers pharmaceuticals and health care, registered the highest increase in 2021, growing by 4.5 per cent compared with 2020, says HR consulting company Mercer’s Total Remuneration Survey, which polled more than 500 companies.

The UAE’s pharmaceutical market is expected to grow by 27 per cent between 2021 and 2025 as the country pushes to become a regional pharmaceutical centre, Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ said in a February report. The size of the local pharmaceutical market is expected to hit $4.7 billion in value by 2025, up three times the value recorded in 2011, the report found.

As of 2021, the UAE had 23 pharmaceutical manufacturing centres and was producing more than 2,500 medicines in country, Kinetic Business Solutions reports.

“The global healthcare and life sciences landscape is changing as patient care delivery is fundamentally evolving to become more virtual, ambulatory, at home and value-based,” says Deepa Sud, chief executive of Plum Jobs, a Dubai executive search consultancy.

“We are seeing an increase in the hiring of related roles and this sector will continue to grow. Employees are favouring the fast-paced environment of biotech compared with traditional Big Pharma.”

What positions are in demand?

The most in-demand positions in the UAE healthcare sector include nurses, laboratory technicians and doctors/physicians, while regional sales managers and marketing managers are sought after in the life sciences industry, recruitment consultancy Michael Page says in its 2022 salary guide.

Meanwhile, roles that are in demand in the Emirates’ life sciences industry include country and general managers, commercial directors, sales managers, key account managers, marketing managers, medical representatives, product specialists, human resources and finance managers, data from Kinetic Business Solutions show.

As the sector evolves, they will transition more into partnerships and technology, leading to a greater demand for talent in these areas, Ms Sud says.

“Providers will need to establish strong partnerships with pharma, medical technology and insurance players to provide a cohesive patient experience that delivers high-quality care while maintaining a competitive edge,” she says.

“You will see a greater need for strong capabilities in leadership, strategy and change management.”

What skills are employers looking for?

Employers are seeking candidates with experience in regional sales and distributor management, who have the ability to control and influence distribution partners to positively affect sales, inventory and top-line revenue, Michael Page reports.

Project management skills are also sought after by employers since the Covid-19 pandemic pushed healthcare companies, including hospitals and laboratories, to design and carry out new projects in a short period of time, the consultancy firm says.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies in the UAE are looking for people capable of communicating with the authorities and supporting them in defining the right prices, it adds.

“Aside from the technical skills and qualifications required, the top skills sought by life science companies in potential hires are local or regional experience, adaptability and flexibility and communication, with multilingual candidates being highly requested,” Mr Atkinson says.

With heavy investment in research and development funding, pharmaceutical and medical devices start-ups and global organisations are hiring candidates with knowledge of product lifecycles and launches, Ms Sud of Plum Jobs says.

“Advances in technology are reducing patient touchpoints and the need for high-volume hospital care as virtual and home-based care delivery are becoming more of a reality,” she says. “As the delivery of care shifts, providers need leadership, project management and technology skills to create delivery ecosystems that integrate both digital and face-to-face models.”

Although the need for care-at-home capabilities are growing significantly, there is a huge gap in the labour market, Ms Sud points out.

Are salaries expected to rise in the healthcare and life science sector?

Experienced life science candidates are in high demand, and employers are increasing salaries and offering extremely competitive packages to secure the best talent for their organisations, Mr Atkinson says.

“Sixty-two per cent of respondents to our salary and employment survey at the end of last year said they had received increases, too, so companies are also taking the right steps to reward and retain staff,” he adds.

Salaries are increasing and life science professionals are receiving an average of 15 per cent to 20 per cent salary increases because of the skills shortage, Ms Sud says.

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UAE salary guide 2022

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What other benefits can employees expect?

Flexible work has become the norm for many life science companies and they offer this to all levels of employees, Mr Atkinson says.

“More senior life science executives can expect to be offered the following benefits depending on the organisation they are joining: housing, transport, schooling for children and flight allowances,” he adds.

Besides salaries, employees are looking for enhanced healthcare and wellness benefits. Golden visas for healthcare workers has also boosted employee recruitment and retention, Ms Sud says.

Do employers face hiring challenges?

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare organisations have had to rapidly change their operations, address large patient flows and testing as well as manage the backlog of elective surgeries. As a result, healthcare institutions are constantly looking to hire more nurses, Michael Page reports.

Organisations are also now looking to grow and expand their fields of therapeutic coverage to increase revenue streams, which means it is now as important as ever to secure top talent both locally and internationally, says the consultancy.

“Many companies are also looking to hire in large volumes, which presents a challenge to find licensed professionals within the UAE or people who can become licensed in the UAE quickly,” it adds.

“Healthcare professionals will be highly sought after, so organisations need to ensure they have competitive salaries, benefits and a stable onboarding programme to ensure they are able to attract and, more importantly, retain employees.

“Companies are also being more flexible on licence status for nurses, accepting home country licence and bringing them in as assistant nurse for a slightly lower salary, while taking them through the UAE licensing.”

Meanwhile, expansion and market penetration remain the focus for most pharmaceutical or medical device companies within the UAE’s life sciences sector, the recruitment consultancy says.

The Middle East and Africa region remains a key growth area for most companies and this has resulted in the need for strong candidates in sales/business development, market access and regulatory affairs who are required to efficiently work with the authorities, while staying ahead of the competition, Michael Page says.

“With many companies looking to retain their current talent, there is a challenge sourcing candidates locally, pushing many businesses to look internationally,” it adds.

“It is important to ensure to have a clear road map for candidate growth and competitive packages to attract candidate from other companies in the region.”

How much can you expect to be paid in the healthcare and life sciences sector?

Sales

General manager — Dh75,000 (per month)
Sales director/regional director — Dh65,000
Regional sales manager — Dh45,000
Business development manager/area sales manager — Dh30,000
Clinical application specialist — Dh26,000
Business development executive — Dh20,000
Sales engineer/account manager — Dh15,000

Marketing

Chief medical officer — Dh75,000
Head of marketing/marketing director — Dh65,000
Marketing manager/group product manager — Dh40,000
Senior brand manager — Dh30,000
Brand manager — Dh25,000

Regulatory and medical affairs

Regulatory affairs director — Dh55,000
Regulatory affairs manager — Dh40,000

Medical science

Medical director — Dh70,000
Senior medical manager — Dh55,000
Medical manager — Dh45,000
Medical science liaison — Dh30,000

Health care

Chief executive — Dh115,000
Chief medical officer — Dh90,000
Chief operation officer — Dh70,000
Head of department — Dh65,000
Chief nursing officer — Dh65,000
Doctor/physician (surgeon) — Dh100,000
Doctor/physician (consultant) — Dh85,000
Doctor/physician (junior) — Dh60,000
Nurses-in-charge — Dh22,000
Nurse — Dh11,500

Laboratories

Laboratory director — Dh55,000
Laboratory manager — Dh40,000
Quality manager — Dh42,500
Laboratory technician — Dh11,500

Source: Michael Page

The Details

Article 15
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Director:Mike Mills

Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman

Rating: 4/5

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

THE%20HOLDOVERS

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'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

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Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

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The Brutalist

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Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

F1 drivers' standings

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281

2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247

3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222

4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177

5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138

6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93

7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86

8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56

The%20specs

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Hajj 2019

• Tears of joy as pilgrims arrive at Jeddah's Hajj Terminal

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Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

UAE salaries: which healthcare jobs are in demand and how much do they pay?

Employers are seeking nurses, laboratory technicians, doctors, medical representatives, product specialists, sales and marketing managers, recruitment experts say

What positions are in demand?

What skills are employers looking for?

Are salaries expected to rise in the healthcare and life science sector?

UAE salary guide 2022

What other benefits can employees expect?

Do employers face hiring challenges?

How much can you expect to be paid in the healthcare and life sciences sector?

Sales

Marketing

Regulatory and medical affairs

Medical science

Health care

Laboratories

The Details

The specs

'C'mon&nbsp;C'mon'

Our family matters legal consultant

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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Specs

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Quick pearls of wisdom

The specs

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F1 drivers' standings

The%20specs

Hajj 2019

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'My Son'