UAE jobs: Tax auditor aspirants get lower salaries - despite high demand

Dubai: Aspirants for tax auditor jobs in the UAE are finding that it’s getting even more difficult to land a position. Even worse, some of the on-offer jobs are going for salaries much lower than had been the case just a year ago.

This is the reality that tax professionals, even those with sufficient experience, are going by. In just two years, if tax auditing was seen as a boom industry and jobs in it among the most coveted, that’s no longer the case. “When accounting services can be outsourced for Dh1,000 or even less, it makes the job situation all the more difficult for tax auditors,” said an HR consultant.

There is also the now constant market chatter that if someone is willing to be hired for Dh8,000 a month in an auditor’s role, there would be others willing to do the same for Dh5,000. Even less.

“There is an oversupply for these roles in the UAE market,” said Ravi Jethwani, CEO of Innovations Group, the job consultancy.  

“Supply mainly comes from Indian CAs from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where opportunities are scarce. They feel it’s better to move to UAE rather than move to metro-cities in India itself.

“Due to oversupply and limited roles in the UAE, they are willing to work at any low salary to get the entry into the market.

“These roles can also be managed from India or other Asian countries where tax and audits are in force since inception of the constitutions. This also leads to low salaries in UAE for such roles.”

Salaries for tax positions in the UAE

• Tax Managers: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000

• Senior Tax Analyst: Dh15,000 to Dh20,000

• Tax Analyst: Dh8,000 to Dh12,000

• Audit Manager: Dh22,000 to Dh28,000

• Senior audit associates: Dh12,000 to Dh18,000

• Audit associates: Dh6,000 to Dh12,000

It was from June 1, 2023 that the UAE brought into force the corporate tax regime, set at a flat 9%. This was also the trigger for the sheer demand that took effect for tax specialists and then later on those for lower to mid-tier levels.

In 2023 and for the better part of 2024, salaries offered for new hires were definitely better than what’s available now. That’s because a lot of recruitment was needed to be done by UAE based companies to get their tax registration processes in place and prepare for the actual tax returns.

“Demand for tax auditors is now entering a more stable phase,” said Kush Ahuja, Head of ACCA, Middle East and Eurasia. “But tax expertise remains a core requirement for finance teams, particularly as UAE Ministerial Decision No. 84 raises the bar for financial reporting and audit readiness.

“While we’re hearing that some salary packages may have levelled off after the initial spike, the long-term outlook for tax professionals in the UAE remains strong – especially for those with the right mix of technical, regulatory and digital skills.”