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Revealed: Top 10 Salaries In Saudi Arabia

Average salaries in Saudi Arabia rose seven per cent to reach $12,978.3 per month in the Gulf Business 2015 Salary Survey.

by Mary Sophia

March 10, 2015

Salaries across Saudi Arabia grew seven per cent year-on-year in the Gulf Business 2015 Salary Survey, rising from $12,126 to $12,978.3.

The kingdom also continued to be the highest paying country for most positions in our 2015 survey, especially for westerners.

A western expat CEO/MD of a multinational in the kingdom earned roughly $46,960 a month on average, up 4.88 per cent from last year. This was significantly higher than Asian and Arab peers in the same position, at $38,819 and $44,747 respectively.

Expats of all three racial backgrounds also saw growth on average in this year’s survey.

Average Asian expat salaries in Saudi Arabia rose 8.3 per cent, reaching $11,066 from $10,214 from last year.

Western expats saw slightly slower salary growth of 7.7 per cent, reaching $14,302 in 2015 from $13,274 in 2014.

While Arab pay packets saw growth of four per cent, rising from $13,042 to $13,567.

“Saudi Arabia and Qatar, can have greater ‘barriers to entry’ linked to cultural components and immigration policy,” said Gareth Clayton, senior director at Charterhouse Middle East.

“Thus, to cater for the increased demand, packages need to reflect the available and applicable pool of candidates accessible for these markets. For the right profile of candidate, these two markets in particular, present both exciting and financially rewarding opportunities.”

Despite higher average pay across all three racial groups, salary differences based on passport were still very noticeable, with Western expats earning almost 29.2 per cent more than Asians and 7.7 per cent more than Arabs.

Going forward, King Salman’s appointment is expected to lead to a big jump in Saudi salaries, although the growth is more likely to be on the government level than for expatriates.