PM Network - January 2017

Sharply sagging fuel prices have forced the Middle East’s second-largest economy to frantically diversify project portfolios beyond oil. The strategy is spurring new opportunities in a highly competitive country where project talent is well compensated.

Only Qatar offers a higher median salary for project talent in the Middle East, according to PMI’s 2015 publication Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey—Ninth Edition, the most recent data available. And for practitioners managing projects with a budget over US$10 million, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) takes the top spot for compensation, paying US$95,274 on average.

To shift away from oil, project sponsors have
launched a raft of high-profile megaprojects, includ-
ing a US$3 billion amusement park, a US$6 billion
complex of 2,600 villas, and a US$3 billion, 75-acre
(30-hectare) town square in Dubai. Other initiatives
aim to transform the UAE into a knowledge-based,
innovation-driven economy. And Dubai’s Smart
City initiative, launched in 2014, has sparked hun-
dreds of new projects designed to make everything
from transportation and high-speed internet to
energy and infrastructure more efficient.
“There’s been some new activity in the job market
for project management positions in manufacturing
and infrastructure, which are part of the drive for
diversification away from oil,” says Joel A. Eacker,
PMP, PgMP, a senior vice president at CH2M who
oversees projects in the UAE. He says that healthcare,
food production and chemical companies are other
local sectors hungry for project management skills.
“Strong project controls, such as experience in
planning or managing costs and schedule systems,
are always a very strong positive for project man-
agement professionals in the UAE marketplace. But
risk managers are at a premium in very complex
and large projects and programs,” Mr. Eacker says.
Spread the Wealth

AT A GLANCE
2017 GDP
Growth
Forecast: 2.6%
Median Project
Practitioner
Salary:

US$81,663

Sectors to Watch: IT, construction, manufacturing

How will the role of project manager evolve in 2017?

“I see 2017 bringing more push for additional project management skills and certifications. Beyond the Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential, I expect more organizations here will seek out practitioners with specific certifications in risk, scheduling, program management and portfolio management.”

—Oluwatosin Agbetusin, PMI-SP, PMP, PgMP, director, consulting and systems integration program, Ericsson, Lagos, Nigeria

“Fast-changing market conditions impact projects in progress. To cope, project managers will need to elevate leadership skills to keep projects strategically aligned.”