16% of UAE firms plan to hire

By Fakhr Ahmad: According to Mercer Middle East Total Remuneration Survey for 2024, 16.3 per cent of UAE firms plan to increase their headcounts while 7.8 per cent intend to cut workforce this year.
Around 75.9 per cent of companies in the Emirates neither plan to add or reduce their workforce.
The study, which covered the Middle East region, found that the entire GCC region will see salaries outpacing inflation this year while the wider region is struggling to keep pace with the oil-rich Gulf states.
In addition, 3.8 per cent of firms in the UAE expect an increase in turnover rate for 2024 and 11.4 per cent see a decrease.