Recent studies conducted in 13 Arab countries have shown that saving from one’s monthly salary is an arduous, if not impossible, task for wage earners in most of these countries, especially with the daily increase in the global inflation rate and its widening effects on most aspects of daily life related to the cost of living.
And at a time when employees in Arab countries, including Lebanon, Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Jordan, are suffering from spending their salaries before the end of the third week of the month, and thus the inability to save, other countries have come a position in which employees are allowed to save, led by the Emirates, in which citizens and residents have declared that they They are able to save on their monthly salary.
The “Iram Economic” study targeted citizens and residents of 13 Arab countries, including 1,170 participants, who revealed whether their monthly salaries are enough for them, where exactly do they spend their money, and finally, can they save? To show the extent of their suffering due to inflation.
In the Gulf countries, they save…
The six Gulf countries participating in the study exceeded the ability of employees to save money from their monthly income.
The United Arab Emirates came out on top after 40.7% of respondents said they could save from their salary throughout the month, followed by Qatar in second place with 36.4%, Bahrain in third place with 35%, Saudi Arabia in fourth place with 28.3% and the Sultanate of Oman came in fifth place with 25% and finally Kuwait with 19% of employees able to save.
The labor markets of the Gulf countries host a large number of expatriates from different continents and countries of the world, who are looking to increase their income levels and their savings capacity, compared to their home countries, especially in recent years when the economic situation and security crises have spread to most Arab countries.
Lack of savings in the Maghreb
5.6% of Algerian employees participating in the survey indicated that their salaries are sufficient until the end of the month and that they can save part of it, followed by Moroccan employees participating in the survey with 4.9% who can usually keep part of their salary.
The percentage of respondents saving in Jordan was 4.3%, compared to only 3% in Iraq, and a similar rate of 2.9% in Tunisia, where employees indicated their ability to save a portion of their salary after paying all monthly obligations and expenses.
Balancing Gulf Wages
The six Gulf countries participating in the study also took the lead on the ability of employees to balance income and expenses, and that income only runs out at the end of the month, preventing employees from having to spend the last days of the month with empty pockets.
The participating sample in Qatar ranked first in answering the question: is the salary sufficient until the last day of the month? At a rate of 40.9%, followed by employees participating in the study from Saudi Arabia at a rate of 26.7%.
In addition, 25.9% of participating employees in the UAE reported balancing their income and expenses throughout the month, compared to 25% of respondents in Oman, 20% of respondents in Bahrain, and 19% in Kuwait. .
This percentage decreased outside the Arab Gulf region, as it came in Jordan from 17.4% of employees whose salaries only run out at the end of the month, while the percentage decreased in Algeria to 10%, 7.4% in Tunisia and 6.6% in Morocco.
The percentage of participants in Iraq whose income runs out at the end of each month decreased to 4.5%, while in Lebanon it reached only 1%.
Wages are not enough in Lebanon and Iraq
On the other hand, the study “Iram Economic” revealed an uncomfortable reality for those who spend their entire monthly income before the end of the month of 5% in Iraq.
The percentage was close in the Maghreb countries, exceeding 80% in each of them, with 89.7% of respondents in Tunisia, 88.5% of respondents in Morocco, and 84.4% of employees surveyed in Algeria, while it decreased in Jordan to 78.3% of employees who have their income is not enough.
In another question to the respondents, the percentage of those who spend their entire salary at the end of the third week of the month was: 99% in Lebanon, 92.5% in Iraq, 89.7% in Tunisia, 88.6% in Morocco and 84.5% in Algeria, 78.2% in Jordan, 61.9% in Kuwait, 50% in Oman, 45% in Saudi Arabia, the same percentage in Bahrain, 33.3% in the UAE and 22.7% in Qatar.
As for those who spend their entire salary at the end of the second week of the sample, their percentage was: 97% in Lebanon, 77.9% in Tunisia, 68.9% in Morocco, 64.1% in Iraq, 62.3% in Algeria, 60.8% in Jordan, 40% in Bahrain, 33.3% in Kuwait, 25% in Oman, 21.7% in Saudi Arabia, 13.6% in Qatar, and 3.7% in the United Arab Emirates.
On the other hand, the percentage of those who are obliged to pay their salaries in the first week of each month, according to the study participants, is: 56% in Lebanon, 47.8% in Tunisia, 39.1% in Jordan, 35.6% in Algeria, and 32.8% in Morocco, 31.3% in Iraq, 20% in Bahrain, 14.3% in Kuwait, 9.1% in Qatar, 5% in Saudi Arabia, and the same percentage in the Sultanate of Oman, while none of the respondents in the UAE reported spending all of their income at the end of or in the first week of each month.
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