Are you planning to work in the UAE? Will your job be among domestic workers and housemaids? Are you sure that you’ve researched enough before you take that decision of going abroad? Are you well aware of ALL your rights about your wages when it comes to working in the UAE?
PLEASE READ: 15 Things to Know about Working and Living in the UAE
If not, don’t fret! We’re here to help you learn the information you need before you take that big step of working here in the UAE.
We all know it’s important to know the average salary pay, especially when you’re a domestic worker in the UAE. Knowing your salary means you’ll be able to plan out your personal monthly budget in the UAE. And how much you’ll send back to your families in your home country.
Salary of Domestic Helpers in the United Arab Emirates
There are a lot of usual expectations when it comes to moving to the UAE as a domestic worker. Some of those expectations are; the salary is better, they can save more if they work in the UAE, that they’ll be able to provide more money for their loved ones back home.
There are of course many cases that employers treat workers fairly. However, it has been known that there are possibilities that you’ll be thrown in situations that don’t meet your expectations at all. So, before getting taking this risk, learn what you are getting into.
The most important factor to learn first is the figures of the monthly basic salary and compensation packages as a worker in the UAE. Again, there is no minimum wage salary rule in the country, so monthly figures are very important.
Most Common Nationalities Sending Remittances in UAE
Before dwelling on how much housemaids are making in the UAE, let’s discuss first the TOP 3 NATIONALITIES that works in the UAE, the top 3 that sends the most money from the UAE.
This report was conducted by UAE Central Bank. It studies the money-transfers of expats from the UAE to specific countries. This data however is a summarized percentage of all expatriates from different career professions, including domestic helpers.
The top 3 nationalities out of 5 that was based on the 2019 ranking of top remittances in the report were (figure 1):
- India – 40.1%
- Pakistan – 9.9%
- Philippines – 7.4%
The total remittances recorded for the final quarter of 2019 showed that worker remittances had a 2.5 percent in 2019 accumulating Dh164.9 billion for worker’s remittances. There was an evident fall from the previous year’s 169.2 billion, however, the year still ended with UAE having a total of Dh40.6 billion versus Dh39.9 billion in the same quarter last year.
In addition to this, the UAE Central bank disclosed that the work force was mainly coming from countries in Asia. The growth in remittances is in line with the increase in employment in the UAE during 2019 as well.
Be advised that the
Now, how much can a domestic helper earn in the UAE?
With the amount of worker’s remittances plotted above, it definitely gets our minds more curious about the money that can be earned if you work as a housemaid in the UAE. Rise, a firm based in Dubai – who provides financial services for low income migrants – conducted a survey to collect data regarding the estimates of average salaries of housemaids.
The results of their data have shown, over 200,000 + domestic helpers are hired through a hiring group on Facebook and the study was conducted through that platform. Interviewing over 1,000+ housemaids and employers in the country.
The average salary of a domestic helper in the UAE is AED 1,830.
What are the factors affecting the salaries of these domestic workers in the UAE?
Rise provided not only statistics of the average salaries of housemaids, they also came up with the components that affects the salaries of housemaids in the country. The data collected based their information from the participants, it’s given as follows;
- An increase in salary is possible for a housemaid based on several categories; taking care of newborns or toddlers (plus AED 125), ability to cook (plus AED 125), taking care of pets (plus AED 185) and, live out vs live in (plus AED 400)
- The salary’s increase can also depend on the worker’s experience. If a housemaid has at least 3 years of experience, she can earn up to AED 1, 492. If she has more than 5 years of experience, she can earn an additional percentage of the previous amount, AED 1, 922.
- Location also is an element that can vary for salaries, if a housemaid works for example in Old Dubai, the earnings can reach up to AED 1,700. Another example is Downtown Dubai, for some of the participants, they reported that they are paid AED 2,140. In Palm Jumeirah, it can reach AED 2, 350.
- In the UAE, 95% of children in the country is being cared by an estimated 750,000 housemaids.
- Requirements before becoming a nanny or a domestic helper varies as well, employers reported the usual following requirements; Ability to cook (60%), ability to take care of pets (40%), ability to drive (10%), references (60%), and ability to do first aid (20%).
- There are of course benefits that is provided by employers such as; Wi-Fi connection, toiletries, food allowance, and travel allowance.
Summary
To sum it up, salaries of housemaids in the UAE depends on your experiences, and abilities. Do note that the higher your salary is – the bigger your responsibilities will be. If you start out with a low salary average than expected, don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to increase your wage by simply working on your skills needed for your job.
A simple reminder, before committing to working here in the UAE – the usual contract in the UAE runs for about 2-3 years. That’s a very long time away from home, so you should be aware of what to expect when you go overseas. Even though there is no fixed salary –the amount varies according to your family sponsor. It is crucial to know what are the usual minimum wages existing for housemaids. Ready yourself mentally and physically, prepare for a lot of adjustments, and of course don’t forget the things you’ve researched and learned, it’ll help you out!