Top 20 salaries in Kuwait 2018

Just as the Gulf economies have undergone dramatic changes in recent months, including the introduction of value added tax and fee increases, we too felt it was time to shake up our annual Salary Survey.

While the format has served us well over the years, and offered a unique insight into the compensation expats could expect for a number of key roles, it was increasingly apparent that the included positions were not entirely reflective of the job market as we move towards the end of the decade.

In addition, a focus on largely management roles meant it offered less insight for the majority of the workforce, who are further down the ladder.

Our new streamlined Salary Survey for 2018 aims to address these issues in a simplified format that should prove relevant for the years to come as the gaps between Asian, Arabic and Western wages shrink.

Among the most noticeable changes has been the inclusion of the new lower tier positions such as human resources executive, logistics executive, sales executive and receptionist.

This meant that the overall average monthly salary this year of $8,083 is 26.3 per cent lower than that seen last year, with some quite substantial differences in some countries.

For example, the Kuwait average was 27.73 per cent lower than the previous year.

This year, Kuwait was found to be the worst paying country among the five Gulf Cooperation Council states covered with an average monthly salary of $7,826.

This was 8.96 per cent less than the top paying country Saudi Arabia but only slightly behind the $7,846 Oman average and $7,867 Bahrain average.

However, Kuwait was found to be the top paying country for some positions including hotel general manager – where the average monthly salary of $15,290 was 38 per cent higher than Saudi’s Arabia’s $10,404 and an astonishing 44 per cent more than the UAE’s $9,741

Top salaries in Kuwait
(All the amounts are monthly averages taken from data collated by three recruitment firms)

CEO/MD – Multinational: $34,460

CEO/MD – Local company: $24,675

Hotel general manager: $15,290

Head teacher/principal: $6,557

Real estate manager: $7,144

Lawyer: $8,853

Construction project manager: $8,312

Human resources manager: $7,291

Recruitment manager: $6,675

IT manager: $7,451

PR account manager: $5,677

Sales/marketing manager: $5,480

Facilities management manager: $5,754

Healthcare general practitioner: $5,150

Editor: $4,368

Office manager: $4,351

Digital marketing specialist: $3,675

Bank branch manager: $3,860

Sales executive: $4,126

Logistics executive: $2,813

Senior accountant: $3,427

HR executive: $2,738

Receptionist: $1,865

Overall average: $7,826

The recruiters that participated in our survey continue to view the Gulf as an attractive place to work with average pay rises predictions across the region ranging from 2-3 per cent to 5 per cent this year.