UAE's entry level coders' salaries will not remain at Dh15,000/m levels for long

Being a coder is turning out to be a sound career option in the UAE

Dubai: Entry-level salaries for coders are set to shoot past Dh15,000 month levels as UAE organizations compete to pick out the best talent and track record available in the market. If retail-focused businesses were the most active last year, it’s the banking and healthcare sectors that have their eyes on coders now.

Each new app or digital service launched by a bank in the UAE is feeding the demand for computer programmers, with senior UAE Government sources saying that 100 coder jobs will be created a day. If in the past, organizations were outsourcing most of their tech development, many are now bringing these skills in-house to ensure a tighter grip on cyber security.

“Working as a coder can be a lucrative and fulfilling career once you've gained experience in the field,” said Vijay Gandhi, Regional Director at the HR consultancy Korn Ferry. “One can continue to increase the earning potential through expertise in a particular specialization – software coder, computer and network security coder, web coder or app coder.

“The pay levels then tend to start around Dh27,000 a month.”