UAE employers can't compete on salary, so they're adding will planning, wellness perks; Here's how

Salary hikes in the UAE are modest, around four per cent, and employers know it. So they're competing elsewhere.

Companies across the country are expanding employee benefits well beyond traditional health insurance and travel allowances, piling on mental health support, flexible work arrangements, wellness allowances, learning budgets, and increasingly, financial and legal planning services. The goal is straightforward: hold on to good people when pay rises alone won't do it.

"The real story isn't that employers are getting more generous; it's that they can't win on salary anymore. Pay rises are modest, and people aren't job-hopping the way they used to, so the competition has moved to benefits that actually build trust," Sanjeev Giri, head of sales and operations at Adecco UAE, told Khaleej Times.

Financial well-being moves front and centre

Giri pointed to financial well-being as one of the fastest-growing areas in the benefits space.

"In today's workplace, the most meaningful benefits are those that address employees' overall well-being and long-term security. Employers are expanding their offerings to include mental health support, flexible and hybrid work, wellness allowances, and structured learning budgets. One of the fastest-growing areas is financial well-being," he said.

"The real story isn't that employers are getting more generous; it's that they can't win on salary anymore. Pay rises are modest, and people aren't job-hopping the way they used to, so the competition has moved to benefits that actually build trust," Sanjeev Giri, head of sales and operations at Adecco UAE, told Khaleej Times.

Financial well-being moves front and centre

Giri pointed to financial well-being as one of the fastest-growing areas in the benefits space.

"In today's workplace, the most meaningful benefits are those that address employees' overall well-being and long-term security. Employers are expanding their offerings to include mental health support, flexible and hybrid work, wellness allowances, and structured learning budgets. One of the fastest-growing areas is financial well-being," he said.