28 questions, 8,914 respondents, the most comprehensive salary survey the GCC has seen.

The level of response ArabianBusiness.com has received for the survey, in addition to the detail of the questions we asked, has allowed us to be highly specific when we mine into the data, or hugely expansive when we take a step back to provide the big picture.

We can tell you, for example, that the majority of you last year took a pay cut, are highly concerned about inflation, looking for another job and being driven to do so by salary and rising costs of living.

You will also not move unless paid substantially to do so.

We can tell you who the highest paid Gulf employees are, what really motivates you, and who the most loyal nationalities are.

For some the big picture will be enough - and you can find our stories taken from the data on the right hand navigation bar. Start with the salary survey FAQ which provides easy access to key findings, or the top level graphs accessable from the tabs above.

Others of you, however, will wish there was more specific information to you, in your industry, at your level of seniority. And we have catered for that too.

The comprehensive response to the survey has given us access to hugely detailed levels of information as to what motivates staff, from specific nationalities, from specific GCC countries, from specific levels of seniority.

The best way we can answer every single question is not to write 10,000 stories, but to let you mine the data yourself .

You will find, within stories, as well as at the bottom of this page, a series of interactive questions allowing you to slice and dice the data to find the specific answers you need.

Want to know, within countries, industries and nationalities:

Why do people want to leave their job?
Who did best for pay rises last year?
What are the best paid industries?
What are the best paid jobs?
What are the best paid nationalities?
What was the average pay rise last year?

Now you can with a click of a button.

However the key interactive question, and one that we have separated out from the rest, is the 'salary calculator'.

The number of responses that we have had has allowed us to produce for the first time in this region a tool which will let you know whether you are ‘overpaid' or ‘underpaid' for the job that you have.

The calculator has started off with 8914 entries, but will be continually refined as more and more of you use it to find out information.

Allowing you to find the median salary for what you do will go some way to address the widespread belief, held by over two thirds of the region's work force, that they are underpaid. Rather than believing you are not paid adequately, you can simply find out, and perhaps even have your perceptions challenged.

The ArabianBusiness.com Salary Survey is a resource not only for employees wanting to understand their value in the marketplace, but also for companies across the region looking to retain, and grow, a loyal staff in a tightening job market.

Salary, contrary to popular perception, is not the be all and end all of an employee's desires. In fact almost as many of us want to improve and to get ahead in our professional lives.

The successful employers in 2008 will be those companies that offer their staff a tailored approach, understanding that a one size fits all policy to retain them will not work. These employers will know that what motivates one section of the work force, will not another.

In short, the ArabianBusiness.com salary survey provides both employers and employees with the insights and tools that they need to begin building a bigger, better, and more prosperous 2008.