Revealed: Top 10 salaries in Bahrain

The 2017 Gulf Business Salary Survey found stagnant growth in salaries across the GCC region in the last year.

The average salary across our three expatriate groups – Asian, Arab and Western – increased just 0.49 per cent or $54 over the last year from $11,123 to $11,177.

Bahrain saw the second smallest salary increase over the last year with an overall average pay rise of 0.26 per cent over 2016 across our three groups from $9,821 to $9,847 a month.

Asian salaries in the country were up 0.16 per cent on average from $7,940 to $7,953. Arab salaries were up 0.39 per cent from $10,421 to $10,462 and Western salaries were up 0.22 per cent from $11,102 to $11,126.

Similar to other GCC countries, salaries in Bahrain are also sharply divided among different nationalities. A Western expat in the position of the CEO or managing director of a multinational pockets 49 per cent more than his/her Asian peer. Meanwhile an Arab information technology (IT) manager earns $12,177 per month, almost 34 per cent more than an Asian expat in the same role.

An Asian executive secretary in Bahrain was also found to be the lowest paid across the region, earning an average of $3,317 per month.

Top 10 salaries in Bahrain

(All the amounts are monthly averages taken from Asian, Western and Arab expat salaries with data collated from Charterhouse Middle East and Nadia)

Chief executive officer/managing director – multinational: $30,674

Chief executive officer/managing director – local company: $20,343

Banking – treasury manager: $11,819

Information technology – manager: $11,113

Construction – project manager: $10,730

Real estate – manager: $9,589

Banking – branch manager: $9,347

Legal – lawyer marketer/manager: $9,345

Human resources – manager: $8,859

Banking – retail/personal banking manager: $8,837

As 2017 progresses, some recruiters point to a more optimistic period to come, but this may not be reflected in pay packets.

“While I believe 2017 is set to be more positive than 2016, salaries will most likely remain flat as businesses still struggle with global market conditions and remain cautious with regard to any extra spending,” said Jennifer Campori, managing director of Charterhouse Middle East.

However, she added that the company expects small signs of improvement to translate into increased salary growth.

Also read: Revealed: The UAE’s top 10 salaries

Revealed: Top 10 biggest salaries in Saudi Arabia

Revealed: Top 10 salaries in Qatar

The complete 2017 Salary Survey is published in the April issue of Gulf Business, out on stands now.