The guide points to opportunities in artificial intelligence, banking and financial services, healthcare, energy, technology and other fields. It indicates that employers increasingly want candidates who pair technical expertise with commercial judgement, regulatory knowledge, leadership and the ability to execute projects.

AI and data capabilities feature prominently across the report, not only in technology-focused positions but also in transformation, procurement, HR and operational roles. The guide also highlights continued demand for communication, problem-solving and leadership skills across the wider labour market.

Top salary benchmarks

The highest monthly salary ceiling listed in the guide is Dh200,000. This applies to chief financial officers in investment and funds businesses, partners in management consulting, chief executives in the energy sector and partners at law firms.

Managing directors in investment banking can earn up to Dh180,000 a month. Chief procurement officers and chief supply chain officers, along with chief information officers and chief technology officers, have salary benchmarks of up to Dh150,000. A vice-president of HR or chief human resources officer can earn as much as Dh130,000.

Other senior salary levels include up to Dh120,000 for chief data officers, chief medical officers, chief information security officers, and vice-presidents or executive directors in procurement. Energy chief operating officers can earn up to Dh100,000, as can consultant physicians.

AI, technology and digital roles

In AI, data and analytics, the guide names agentic AI engineers, applied AI engineers, data scientists and applied data scientists, AI and machine-learning platform engineers, and AI product managers among the most sought-after roles. Employers are prioritising agentic AI and multi-agent systems, applied data science and machine learning, AI-assisted software development, production AI engineering and AI platform engineering.

Agentic AI engineers can earn up to Dh70,000 a month, while agentic AI architects can reach Dh75,000, according to the salary guide.

Technology employers are also seeking DevOps engineers, security engineers, cybersecurity managers, platform engineers and infrastructure managers. The report identifies cloud strategy and migration, cybersecurity and risk management, technology governance and compliance, enterprise architecture, and technology transformation leadership as key areas of expertise.

In digital roles, demand includes digital leaders, engineering managers, product managers, performance marketing specialists and social media marketing managers. The capabilities highlighted include product strategy, AI integration and business adoption, data-led decision-making, digital transformation and user-experience expertise.

Finance, consultancy and legal services

Banking and financial services firms are looking for private banking and wealth managers; vice-presidents and directors in private equity and corporate development; fundraising and institutional sales professionals; compliance officers and money-laundering reporting officers; and relationship managers in corporate and wholesale banking. The guide cites relationship management, business development, market and product knowledge, AI fluency, regulatory compliance and financial modelling as important skills.

Demand in finance and accounting includes tax directors and senior tax managers, FP&A directors and managers, finance directors, treasury managers and heads of treasury, and financial controllers. Business partnering, financial planning, treasury and corporate tax expertise, and industry-specific experience are among the skills employers value.

For consultancy, strategy and change roles, businesses undertaking transformation projects are seeking transformation managers, corporate strategy and planning professionals, AI and digital transformation specialists, organisational design experts and change-management professionals. The report identifies enterprise transformation and execution, AI strategy and adoption, business transformation, organisational design, and knowledge of the UAE market as key capabilities. Management-consulting directors can earn up to Dh135,000 per month.

Law firms are seeking lawyers at multiple levels, from newly qualified professionals and associates to counsels, legal directors and partners. The guide identifies corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity, as well as real estate, disputes, project finance, funds and projects, as areas of demand. Counsels can earn up to Dh110,000 a month.

In-house legal and policy teams are recruiting senior legal counsels, senior compliance managers, company secretaries, legal specialists and corporate governance managers. Desired expertise includes compliance and risk management, governance and board advisory work, data privacy and cybersecurity regulation, ESG and sustainability reporting, plus contract negotiation and commercial advisory work.

Healthcare, energy and industrial sectors

Healthcare and life-sciences employers are looking for commercial sales and marketing professionals, medical affairs and market-access specialists, regulatory affairs and quality professionals, specialist practitioners and operations leaders. Knowledge of the UAE market and regulations, stakeholder and key opinion leader management, pricing and reimbursement, compliance, commercial strategy and business development are among the capabilities identified.

Laboratory and quality directors can earn up to Dh70,000 a month, the guide says.

In energy, demand covers renewable-energy and energy-transition directors, sustainability consultants and ESG specialists, renewable-energy project directors and managers, operations directors and general managers, and health, safety and environment directors and managers. Sought-after skills include project and engineering management, operations and asset management, reliability, technical expertise, renewables, digitalisation, AI, automation and process safety.

Engineering and manufacturing employers are seeking general managers, project directors, business excellence managers, operations managers and research and development managers. The report highlights operational excellence, lean manufacturing, transformation leadership, manufacturing scale-ups, greenfield projects, automation, AI, supply chain expertise and localisation. Project directors can earn up to Dh90,000 monthly, while R&D and new-product-development directors can receive up to Dh78,000.

Commercial, property and support functions

The guide lists procurement managers, supply chain managers, heads of procurement, logistics and shipping managers, and strategic sourcing or category managers among in-demand supply chain roles. Strategic sourcing, supplier management, resilience in logistics and supply chains, AI-driven procurement analytics, commercial leadership and GCC and localisation expertise are highlighted.

Property and construction employers are seeking design directors and managers, project directors and managers, development directors and managers, commercial managers and facilities managers. Full project life-cycle delivery, development management, feasibility work, fundraising and market research, and facilities and asset management experience are cited as important.

In retail, the priority roles include regional commercial directors, marketing and brand heads, digital and e-commerce heads, category and buying directors, and retail operations directors. Employers are seeking experience in profit-and-loss responsibility across several GCC markets, pricing and profitability, digital growth, customer acquisition, category management and adapting global brand strategies for local markets.

Business-to-business sales and marketing positions in demand include marketing and communications directors, regional sales managers, direct and brownfield sales managers, key account managers and directors, and marketing managers. The guide points to consultative selling, relationship building, new-market development, tender and government sales knowledge, digital marketing and sector-specific technical expertise.

For consumer-facing businesses, the report lists commercial directors, business development and strategic account directors, general managers, marketing directors, and sales and account managers. Key capabilities include account management, route-to-market and channel management, trade marketing, commercial activation, category management, consumer insights and brand management.

Demand in HR includes multi-territory HR directors, mid- to senior-level talent-acquisition professionals, people and culture specialists, HR transformation and harmonisation consultants, and talent-management professionals. Employers are seeking expertise in AI and HR technology transformation, HR analytics, workforce planning, skills intelligence, succession planning, nationalisation and strategic talent acquisition.

Office-support roles identified in the guide include office managers, C-suite executive assistants, administration and office assistants, receptionists and personal assistants. Employers value bilingual candidates, advanced technology knowledge, familiarity with UAE labour laws, visa and regulatory processes, business set-up experience and flexibility across time zones.

Hiring and wider skills gap

The report’s findings come amid continued recruitment activity in the UAE. Previous Khaleej Times reporting found that 80 per cent of businesses expected to maintain or increase hiring during the second half of 2026, while employers reported shortages of AI and machine-learning engineers and cloud architects.

An analysis of 7,025 UAE job postings published in October 2026 found that communication skills appeared in 22.4 per cent of advertisements. Problem-solving and leadership were each mentioned in 9.1 per cent of the listings.

Across the sectors covered by the salary guide, Michael Page’s findings suggest that specialist knowledge alone may not be sufficient, with employers also looking for adaptable professionals who can connect technical work to business priorities and lead teams or projects.