Almost half of workers in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), are satisfied with their current salaries, according to a report from Middle Eastern Job site Bayt.com and market research agency YouGov.

The report titled, ‘2017 Middle East and North Africa Salary Survey’, polled more than 3,800 respondents who live in the MENA region, and 48% of them stated that they were satisfied with their current salaries. Furthermore, 39% of respondents believe that salaries will be increasing this year.

“With salary being such an important factor for both employees and job seekers, we hope that the Bayt.com Salary Survey 2017 will shed light on salaries, savings, and spending in the Middle East,” Suhail Masri, VP, Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. “We conduct tens of comprehensive research reports each year in line with our mission as an organization, which is to provide people with the tools and information they need to build their lifestyle of choice. This survey was created to provide employers with insights into current employee satisfaction levels when it comes to their salaries and raises.”

In 2016, 46% of respondents received a salary increase, meanwhile 49% of those surveyed did not receive a pay rise in 2016. Of those who did receive an increase, 39% were very happy or modestly happy with their raise. The report also showed that 54% of respondents in the MENA region are expecting a salary raise in 2017.

Meanwhile, 52% of respondents manage to save a portion of their income and 48% manage to send a portion of their salary to their home country.

“It is interesting to note that 52% of MENA respondents manage to save a portion of their monthly income, with 48% of those living outside their home country being able to repatriate a portion of their savings to their home country,” Elissavet Vraka, Research Manager, YouGov, said. “This is a good sign for both employers and job seekers, as the ability to save and repatriate savings will impact other factors such as employee satisfaction and loyalty towards the company.”