Dubai is known as the land of opportunity, and rightly so. It is a haven for talent and ambition and offers security, world-class infrastructure, a luxury lifestyle and the benefit of a tax-free salary. The fact that professionals from more than 200 nationalities call Dubai their second home says a lot about career development opportunities that the city offers compared with other global expat destinations.

There won’t be many cities in the world that can match the rags-to-riches tales of Dubai residents. The city attracts and values the talent and knowledge of highly skilled professionals irrespective of their race, region or religion. Availability of the best brains is a compelling incentive for businesses and entrepreneurs to set up their base here. The city offers a perfect ecosystem for local and global firms to thrive here, and the absence of income tax makes it an irresistible magnet for top professionals, who in turn command top salaries.

As advancements in technology stimulate rapid changes, Dubai has always stayed ahead of the curve. Senior officials in recruitment and management consultants are of the view that businesses in Dubai are moving away from the practice of outsourcing programming roles and are now hiring them on a permanent basis. A growing number of technology startups in Dubai has driven the demand for IT-related jobs, with coders a.k.a. software engineers leading the race.

A 2021 survey by Robert Half, a jobs consultancy, said spending on tech was robust towards the end of 2020 and, when combined with innovation urgency, has led to stable salary offerings. The most in-demand roles are those which focus on cybersecurity and data analytics.

With the global economy on the mend after the harsh impact of pandemic-led lockdowns, tech roles are among the most critical business enablers. According to Robert Half, the UAE’s finance ecosystem is prioritising transformation projects. Dubai businesses are looking for high-level tech talent to lead strategy from the top down.

Businesses are keen to retain top talent in their ranks and hope to attract qualified expatriates. The pandemic has accelerated the digital drive of organisations across the world. The emphasis on remote working and e-commerce has put additional focus on tech-related roles in companies across sectors. CIOs and CTOs with the right experience can earn a seven-figure sum in UAE dirhams.

The survey lists key roles in the IT domain (see table), of which CIOs (chief information officers) stand to earn the most. According to the survey, CIOs in large Dubai companies can earn up to Dh1.26 million a year, or more than Dh105,000 per month. CDOs (chief digital officers) with the right experience can earn up to Dh960,000 per year (Dh80,000 per month) while IT managers and software development managers can expect to take home up to Dh50,000 per month.

The survey states that industries showing strong signs of recovery are fintech, e-commerce, edutech, and healthtech while in-demand jobs include software engineers, data analysts and scientists and cyber security specialists.