{"id":102117,"date":"2025-03-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/uae-ceos-see-more-long-term-incentives-and-bonuses-amid-rising-regional-competition\/"},"modified":"2025-03-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T00:00:00","slug":"uae-ceos-see-more-long-term-incentives-and-bonuses-amid-rising-regional-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2025\/03\/27\/uae-ceos-see-more-long-term-incentives-and-bonuses-amid-rising-regional-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"UAE CEOs see more long-term incentives and bonuses amid rising regional competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

UAE companies \u2014 along with Saudi firms \u2014 are<\/strong> getting more cre<\/strong>ative with compensation amid rising competition for talent<\/strong>, with more firms offering both short-term and long-term incentive (LTIPs) plans, the National<\/a> reports, citing Cooper Fitch\u2019s 2025 CEO report. Long-term incentives in particular, which are typically structured as bonuses, equity, shares or stock options, are being used to retain C-level executives \u2014 especially those leading companies on their expansion journeys.<\/p>\n

Short-term bonuses were the most common approach last year:<\/strong> Nearly half \u2014 44% \u2014 of organizations offered 1-2 months\u2019 salary as the most common bonus payout for executives \u2014 a cautious approach many companies took amid economic challenges, according to Cooper Fitch 2025 UAE Bonus report (pdf)<\/a>. 23% of companies offered 3-5 months\u2019 salary bonuses, while 25% of senior leadership received similar payouts. 28% of organizations offered no bonuses at all.<\/p>\n

But more companies are shifting towards additional long-term incentive plans: <\/strong>While short-term bonuses are currently more prevalent, 35.5% of CEOs in the UAE are benefiting from LTIPs. Publicly-listed companies are leading the way, offering 12 to 24 months\u2019 salary in LTIPs, compared to private sector companies, which are adopting these plans at a slower pace, managing partner and head of CEO practice at Cooper Fitch Jack Khabbaz told The National. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s less than what most peers in Saudi Arabia are getting: <\/strong>Some 56.5% of Saudi CEOs benefit from LTIPs, compared to 35.5% in the UAE, The National reports. Notably, 18% of Saudi CEOs receive bonuses equivalent to 9-12 months\u2019 salary\u2014far exceeding the UAE\u2019s standard of 3-5 months\u2019 salary for annual bonuses. This trend is driven by the kingdom\u2019s mega projects and large-scale business transformation initiatives, which require long-term leadership commitments.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in tech, energy, healthcare banking, or consulting, you\u2019re lucky:<\/strong> These industries are getting the highest payouts, according to the report. On the other hand, sectors such as aviation, government, and retail adopted a more cautious approach on the back of challenges like budget constraints and market uncertainties, leading to more conservative bonus practices. <\/p>\n

Looking ahead at 2025<\/strong>, some 45-46% of UAE CEOs are expecting an incremental increase in their bonuses for 2025, with expected growth ranging from 5% and 20%, likely driven by product and service expansion, as well as digital transformation, Khabbaz told Dubai Eye (watch, runtime: 8:11<\/a>). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

35.5% of CEOs in the UAE now are benefiting from LTIPs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":102118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1631],"tags":[159,1357,7,1341],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-102117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-banking","tag-business","tag-enterpriseam-uae","tag-tech","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"740130f1-662a-435e-bf55-4b02287f09aa","order":"4","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/2230.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"UAE CEOs see more long-term incentives and bonuses amid rising regional competition","related_issue":[102110],"teaser":"35.5% of CEOs in the UAE now are benefiting from LTIPs","voice_url":"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/ent.news\/audio\/2025\/3\/.96e57f89-3166-4dbf-9e08-53600c35b0bf.mp3"},"yoast_head":"\nUAE CEOs see more long-term incentives and bonuses amid rising regional competition - 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