UAE: 67% of employees would 'take pay cuts for AI skills', says survey

A significant portion of professionals in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are willing to work at a lower salary in exchange for acquiring strong AI (artificial intelligence) skills. The pay cut is temporary and “not a sacrifice but a strategic foresight,” a global management consulting firm has pointed out.

The willingness to trade higher pay for stronger AI skills is reflected in the mid-2025 report by Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm and a business of Marsh McLennan. The study surveyed more than 16,000 professionals across 18 countries. It revealed that two in three respondents in the UAE (67 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (70 per cent) say they would accept lower pay to secure AI training, compared to just 41 per cent worldwide.

The “lower pay” is compensated by being trained to acquire a new set of skills to adapt to different roles within the company due to technological advances. This continuous learning will then give employees additional responsibilities and higher-level roles. They will likewise build high-demand skills and stay relevant in the evolving world of work.

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As technologies like AI, predictive analytics, and blockchain have become more commonplace, so has the need for organisations to find candidates with the skills needed to keep up and evolve these new systems and platforms.

This prompted employees in the UAE and Saudi to think more strategically. “Their willingness to trade immediate earnings for AI skills shows strategic foresight, not sacrifice,” underscored Jad Haddad, Global Head of Quotient – AI by Oliver Wyman, adding: “Companies that match this enthusiasm with robust training and trustworthy internal tools can convert it into productivity and growth."

“AI adoption is already underway, and employees in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are effectively co-investing in their own future," Haddad continued.

 “This investment mindset reflects the deeper workforce transformation already happening. More people in the region are currently using AI at work. Only 7 and 6 per cent in the UAE and Saudi, respectively, said they never use AI at work — versus 23 per cent globally.”

"The survey sheds light into workforce confidence, AI adoption, upskilling priorities, trust in AI tools, and regulatory outlooks," Haddad told Khaleej Times.

Collaborative mindset

Haddad noted, “Such strong adoption translates into openness to AI partnership. Only 7 per cent of UAE and 5 per cent of Saudi professionals would resist working with AI as a coworker they collaborate with, compared to 21 per cent globally.”

Photo: Jad Haddad

This means, workers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia demonstrate greater acceptance of AI's involvement in their job roles and heightened awareness of its potential impact on job security.

There is, however, also a balanced approach to automation. The survey revealed professionals in the UAE and Saudi are maintaining pragmatic perspectives, with 35 per cent of UAE respondents and 36 percent of Saudi respondents supporting limits on automation in sensitive sectors such as healthcare and education, compared with 26 percent worldwide.

Additionally, 61 per cent in the UAE and 62 percent in Saudi Arabia would endorse full automation if paired with a universal basic income or social welfare compensation, versus 40 per cent globally.

Human-AI collaboration

Haddad underscored: “AI can amplify human potential, but only if we prioritise trust, skills, and policies that support human-AI collaboration. The workforce in Saudi Arabia and the UAE recognises the balance between embracing AI-led economic accelerators and ensuring protections that uphold workforce creativity, equity, and job satisfaction — merging optimism with pragmatism."

This means, Haddad, pointed out “for companies and policymakers to accelerate AI adoption while reinforcing public trust. Professionals in both countries combine strong optimism about AI with clear calls for responsible use, creating an opportunity to set a global benchmark for balanced, rapid AI adoption.”

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