Abudhabi: The salary expectations of the university students in UAE have raised in the previous year as a result of the increase in job opportunities during the COVID-19 recovery period.
According to the survey conducted by employer branding firm Universum for 2022, students in UAE universities are expecting nearly a $5,370 (AED 19,726) salary per month compared to around $4,900 (AED18,000) in the last year. The salary expectation of male students is around $5,149 (AED 18,914) monthly against $5,389 (AED 19,796) last year. Female students have also increased their salary expectations to $5,454 (AED 20,036) against $5,046 (AED 18,537).
The survey was conducted from October 2021 to July 2022, including 30 universities and 128 areas of study. The study has covered 8,543 students, including 1,686 students from Business or Commerce, 3,759 from IT/Engineering, 370 from Natural Sciences, 1,553 from Education/Law/Humanities/Art and 1,175 from Health.
The key sectors of UAE economy are now making a good comeback with more job opportunities after being hit by COVID- 19 lockdowns. Along with this, the introduction of Golden visa for students has also led to students preferring UAE to other Western countries for higher education.
University students prefer entities which offer increased future earnings, professional training and development and that provide secure and friendly work environment.
Top employer choices of students
The top employer of choice for business for students in 2022 is Emaar followed by Emirates airline, Apple, Google, ADNOC Group, Dubai Airports, Microsoft, Etihad Airways, Amazon and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.
For Engineering/IT students, the top employers are ADNOC Group, Masdar, Emaar, MBR Space Centre, DEWA, Emirates airline, Google, Microsoft, Apple and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation .
Among Science students, the most attractive employers in 2022 are Masdar, MBR Space Centre, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Seha, Dubai Health Authority, Enec, ADNOC Pfizer and Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority.
For students studying Humanities/Liberal Arts/Education/Law, the most attractive employers are Emaar, Emirates, Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai Police, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Dubai Airports, Masdar, ADNOC Group, Etihad Airways and Google.
Dubai Health Authority, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Seha, Pfizer, Dubai Police, Emirates airline, Masdar, Dubai Airports, L’Oreal Group and Google are the most attractive employers for Health and Medical students.