Energi People CIBSE UAE MEP Design Market Insights and Salary Guide 2022
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Building Services Engineering Salary Guides | Salary Guides
Posted 29.04.22
Introduction
Welcome to the highly anticipated, 2022, UAE MEP Design Market Insights & Salary Guide. This is our 10th consecutive publication, solely for the MEP Design industry within the UAE and we are absolutely delighted to bring this to you, in collaboration with CIBSE UAE. We have received huge contribution from candidates and clients across the region who were kind enough to participate to ensure our report gives an accurate overview of the industry and report of what to expect over the coming 12 months.
To produce results that accurately reflect the UAE MEP Design market in 2022, we have collated information from our own placement records and research and combined this with information clients and candidates across the UAE have kindly provided us with.
It is a huge year for us at Energi People as we are celebrating our 20th birthday. It’s been great supporting the UAE MEP industry over the last 20 years, and I am really looking forward to seeing the development across the region over the next 20 years.
We have really enjoyed the partnerships we have built over the last 20 years within the UAE and the wider GCC. This has seen us place large design & project teams on some of the region’s most iconic projects including the Burj Khalifa. Alex Christie – Managing Director, Energi People.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this year’s survey & provided such key insights.
I hope you enjoy reading & find valuable insights in the coming pages…
Index
1 – MARKET INSIGHTS
2 – SALARY GUIDE
3 – CIBSE UAE
4 – CONCLUSION
5 – THE TEAM
Market Insights
Well, haven’t things changed for the better since our last, highly anticipated UAE MEP Design Insights & Salary Guide! With a largely successful vaccine rollout & the Omicron variant reportedly not causing serious infections, vertical growth in most project sectors has created exponential opportunity for businesses of all sizes across the GCC.
We have seen a lot of movement in the job market already this year & I am the busiest that I have been with MEP Design vacancies in the region for the past 4 years! This has largely been due to the giga projects in KSA driving huge growth in the region, along with the data centre throughout the region erupting.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a vast number of engineers repatriating or relocating outside of the region, through job losses and to be closer to their families because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is creating significant talent shortages and our client partners are already looking and needing to bring talent from outside of the region to deliver projects.
Multiple consultants with offshore design offices have significant growth plans over the next 12 months, to aid in the delivery of design projects.
Requirements from our clients span senior engineer, through to Director and General Manager levels. Candidates with data centre experience are in increasing demand along with principal and associate level candidates who can stimulate work in the region, lead client meetings and drive digitisation.
83% of employers offer an element of hybrid working
97% of consultants surveyed plan to hire this year, up from 57% last year
82% of employers have experienced skills shortages in the last year
56% of employers plan to increase salaries this year, even by a small percentage
30% of employers are considering or already utilising contract resource
Salary Guide
The data below is collated from our own placement records and research, combined with information clients and candidates across the UAE have kindly provided us with.
The salaries span across the full MEP disciplines & reflect large international multi-disciplinary, specialist MEP design consultants and locally owned consultants.
You will note the large bandings at each level demonstrating disparity in salaries across the region.
| Title Average Salaries | Salaries per month |
|---|---|
| Junior Engineer | 7,500 – 14,500 AED per month |
| Intermediate Engineer | 15,000 – 22,000 AED per month |
| Senior Engineer | 23,000 – 31,000 AED per month |
| Principal Engineer | 30,000 – 39,000 AED per month |
| Associate | 38,000 – 47,000 AED per month |
| Associate Director | 45,000 – 55,000 AED per month |
| Technical Director | 56,500 – 75,000 AED per month |
| Director | 72,500 – 100,000 AED per month |
CIBSE UAE
The past few years have seen an enormous raise in the involvement of CIBSE UAE in the regions industry. Headed up by Farah Naz, FCIBSE UAE Chair and Imran Shaikh, FCIBSE as the Vice Chair, there has been a lot to celebrate.
Regions First Silver Medal:
In 2021, our Technical Committee Chair Isaac Coker having been awarded the CIBSE Silver Medal, which brings great pride. The award was presented at the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), annual President’s Dinner which was held in London on the 11th February 2022. The award is made “in recognition of an individual’s exceptional, outstanding and distinguished service to CIBSE and the wider industry.” After 34 years of continued commitment to the industry this comes as a tremendous honour to both Isaac and the CIBSE Committee as a whole.
CIBSE Design Guides:
CIBSE UAE Technical Committee have launched the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia Design guide in the past 3 years. These Design guides were edited and published by CIBSE, which have been extremely successful. Isaac added ‘I believe these Design guidelines will contribute to the current sustainable agenda being promoted by each of the jurisdictions’. The CIBSE UAE Technical Committee is currently working on array of topics such as Ventilation Strategy for basement located substations (including generator rooms) for Abu Dhabi, Dubai and KSA, Symphonic Drainage Systems and Chilled Water Low Delta T Syndrome to name a few for future design guides, which will be shared with engineering community upon completion and edited by CIBSE Central in the UK.
Inspiring the Future Generations:
For the past three years the CIBSE UAE committee, with CIBSE Yen, WIBSE and regional partners like CIOB, RIBA Gulf Chapter, ASHRAE Falcon Chapter, Emirates Green Building Council and World Green Building Council have held numerous technical, non-technical and industry events.
The events were attended by over 1500 people across 32 countries.
Having partnered up some of the best in the region we have seen the interest in our webinars develop significantly while being attended by engineers near and far.
Our Healthy Buildings and Net Zero conferences to name just a few were very well received by the industry in 2020.
In 2021, CIBSE UAE Inter University Student Competition preparing is in full swing.
The student competition aims to focus on the benefits of Smart Building Technologies enhancing building performance and efficiency. Students are challenged to focus on an innovative sustainable technology or design practice applicable to buildings that focuses on advanced smart building technologies and renewable energy resources, and demonstrate a coordinated effort in accomplishing improved building performance and reduce power grid dependency. In addition to the prizes on offer, the competition is a great opportunity for the students to engage with the industry and aims to kick start their career in building services by promoting the participants to prospective employers.
Annual Awards and Dinner Gala:
The CIBSE UAE Region will host an Annual Gala Dinner & Awards Night in September, 2022. Further details will be posted on our social media closer to the time.
The committee is very excited and very much looking forward to all that lies ahead and welcome anyone in the Building Services industry to come forward and be part of the Committee.
Driving Membership:
Reid Donovan with his vast 30 year’s experience and the last 15 in the United Arab Emirates region has been continuously involved in expanding CIBSE membership and chartered engineering mentorship. Reid and the team are committed to growing membership while also mentoring engineers in the Middle East region to ensure they reach their maximum potential.
CIBSE Young Engineers network and WIBSE
Our team of Young engineers with Fahim Mohammad Ashraf as Chair has been very busy hosting abundant events while guiding and supporting the young engineers within the UAE and beyond thorough the building services profession.
Female representation within the building services industry largely remains untapped. WIBSE UAE is working closely with the female leaders in the region, to support Stem Education and leadership events.
Anzala Asher and Suvarna Kumarare driving our WIBSE Leadership Sessions in UAE.
“We understand the importance of improving diversification and inclusion. There is a need for more diverse visible role models to inform, influence and inspire others to undertake a career in engineering.”
Suvarna Kumar
“At WIBSE UAE, we aim to amplify the voices of those working in the industry and address 50:50 gender parity. We are committed to uplifting diversity in the region challenging the status quo to change the narrative of an industry that is conceived as “gender-dominated”.
Anzala Asher
Future:
We are looking forward to our annual Dinner and Award Ceremony in September 2022.
Growth feels inevitable right now in the region, therefore, the UAE Committee are working to develop our presence in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and welcome anyone that may be interested in joining the committee to facilitate this initiative. Anyone interested in supporting the committee please contact us on: [email protected]
CIBSE UAE social media:
We would ask our members to kindly follow us on social media to keep up to date with our talks and events.
To get more information about our committee:
CIBSE UAE Webpage: https://www.cibse.org/networks/regions/united-arab-emirates
Please follow us on:
CIBSE UAE LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cibseuae/
WIBSE LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wibse-women-in-building-services-engineering-a-cibse-network/?viewAsMember=true
CIBSE YEN UAE LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/CIBSEYEN-UAE
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UaeCibse
Did you know that CIBSE UAE has a dedicated YouTube channel where it posts the video recordings of webinars, conferences and much more. Do subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss an event from us.
CIBSE UAE YouTube
Conclusion
2022 certainly has the potential to be the best year for many of our client partners in a very long time. EXPO 2020, FIFA World Cup 2022 and KSA’s vision 2030 are attracting more interest and investors, which is stimulating even more growth throughout the region.
Employers are putting more emphasis on talent attraction across the region, driven by the talent shortages they are experiencing. The race for talent is only going to accelerate over the coming weeks and months.
As demand outweighs supply, employers need to make decisions quickly, issuing offer letters with speed, or they quite simply will lose talent to their competitors.
EDI is a huge focus for many clients who are committed to a more diverse workforce with many employers hiring more female engineers & leaders to balance the gender gap in the industry, which has been highlighted expertly by the MEP Middle East Magazine & Construction Week with their brave, bold and needed cover stories.
This is a significant step in the right direction & something Energi People are working with our client partners across the world to improve. There is much more work to be done, starting with breaking the stereotypes & unconscious biases that are still very prevalent. In my opinion it starts with education & we need to be promoting STEM programmes to attract more women to our industry from an earlier age.
Salary & career progression are the biggest drivers for candidates looking to switch jobs across the region.
Here’s to a healthy & prosperous year for us all & I hope to be back for the CIBSE UAE Annual Dinner & MEP Middle East Awards in September this year to finally see you all again!
James Mowat
Associate Director
The Energi People Team
James is an Associate Director for Energi People with over 15 years of experience in MEP Building Services Engineering recruitment across the whole project lifecycle, within the GCC Region. James’s specialism is in giga projects & the Data Centre/Mission Critical/Critical Systems sector. Such experience includes recruiting teams of engineers across the full project lifecycle on some of the world’s most iconic buildings – The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Dubai Airport, SIDRA Medical & Research Centre in Qatar, Facebook Hyperscale Data Centre in Singapore, Dubai Mall, Dubai Metro & various data centres across the globe.
James is also responsible for driving Energi People’s brand, values and services to clients across the globe, spearheading multi-disciplinary business development, 360 recruitment within MEP Building Services design – both contingency, retained and headhunting, and leading the growth of the building services design team.
Evidently a passionate individual, James is also a Board Director/Trustee of 2 large charities based in Aldershot – Step by Step Partnership and Step by Step Fostering. Step by Step support young people going through tough time’s including homelessness. As a resident many years ago when he was homeless as a teenager, James says “Step by Step helped me be the man I am today, by giving me the tools, support & resources to help change my life.”
Contact Us
Energi People
Middle East and North Africa
t: +44 (0) 2079 839 030
UK and Mainland Europe
t: +44 (0) 1252 413 080
a: Cody Technology Park, Ively Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0LX
CIBSE UAE
The Offices 02 Building in One Central,
Dubai World Trade Centre Complex,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
www.cibse.org
[email protected]
Download our guide
You can download our guide below, which is full of insight! Alternatively, if you have any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to get in touch via any of the below.
