Bayt.com survey also showed many workers expect living expenses to go up further this year

  DUBAI - Five out of 10 or 52 percent of workers in the UAE expect to get a salary increase this year, according to a survey conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov. The 2017 Bayt.com Middle East and North Africa Salary Survey also showed that a third of workers in the UAE received an increase in their salary in 2016. Forty-nine percent of those who got a pay raise in 2016 said they were either "very happy" or "modestly happy" with it. However 48 percent of workers in the country said they did not get a pay hike last year. Other highlights of the survey are: *44 percent believes salary rates in the UAE are rising while 24 percent expect them to stay at their current levels. *55 percent plan to find a better job in the same industry they're employed in within the year while 15 percent will look for a job in another country in the Middle East. *19 percent have seen their cost-of-living expenses (rent, utilities, food) go up between six and 10 percent last year and 71 percent said they expect such expenses to go up even further this year. *64 percent of the respondents said they managed to allot a portion of their income as savings and 63 percent sent a portion of their salary to their families back home. GAC/Expat 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