Average Salary in Kuwait

Table of Contents

How much does a Kuwaiti worker make?

The median monthly wage in Kuwait is 1,260 KWD. The average salary in Kuwait is around 3,660 KWD.

Kuwait has the seventeenth-highest Human Development Index globally, and the highest in the Arab Region.

The country has been classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. In recent times, business opportunities have increased dramatically due to deregulation of markets and oil prices which contributed heavily to the growth of the economy.

Even though Kuwait is an oil-rich country, the majority of its nationals do not work in the petroleum sector. The government has been encouraging nationals to take up employment in private companies and reduce dependence on the foreign workforce.

Kuwait Salaries Distribution

Pay Scale

Kuwaiti salaries start at 320 KWD/month. Depending on experience and current market trends, some people can earn more than this.

Kuwait is a country with great oil resources and many companies love to hire workers from Kuwait because it’s usually cheaper than hiring employees elsewhere in the world due to the lower living cost.

Because of this, sometimes salaries are not enough for companies to attract new talents. However, professionals who have been working in the same position for years such as doctors, engineers and lawyers get paid high salaries compared to most other professions.

Companies often prefer to hire fresh graduates or students that still live at home, they pay them around 200 KWD/month which is considered very low, however; they train these young people and prepare them for future jobs where their salary will increase.

Median Wage

The median monthly wage is 1,320 KWD, which means half of the population earns less than 1,320 KWD and the other half earns more. Kuwait has a large population of expatriates, most of which have a relatively high standard of living.

This means the median wage alone does not indicate the standard of living in Kuwait. In order to get a better picture, it is more informative to look at the countries per capita income.

In summary, half of the population in Kuwait earns less than 1,600 KWD per month and a half earns more.

Percentiles

25% of the population earns less than 740 KWD whereas 75% earn more. Percentiles are one of the most important statistical concepts, as they can easily illustrate inequality in a country.

For example, it is known that 25% of people earn less than 740 KWD whereas 75% earn more. The median income or wealth is 4,620 KWD. This means that half of the population earns an amount under 4620 KWD and half above.

What is the difference between median pay vs average salary?

In some job listings, you will see a statistic listed as “median pay” or “median salary.” While these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between median pay vs average salary.

Average salary refers to the amount that a person makes on average at a company. Median pay on the other hand is the midpoint in which half of the employees make less and half of them make more. So while they may be close to each other, they can still vary quite a bit.

Comparing Salaries Based on Years of Experience

How does an individual’s income in Kuwait increase over time?

There are many factors that influence an individual’s income and experience is one of them.

The first couple of years in the workforce can be difficult as you hone your skills and gain industry knowledge, but it does not take long until earning enough to support yourself becomes a reality.

Salary increases year after year can help individuals meet financial goals such as buying real estate, cars and saving money for retirement.

Knowing what factors contribute to salary growth can help employees set realistic expectations and prepare for compensation negotiations.

In Kuwait, the cost of living is on the rise, so individuals need to work harder and be more valuable in order to get ahead.

Salary Comparisons According to Education

How does your degree of education influence your salary?

In Kuwait, a person’s salary is closely tied to their level of schooling. In fact, the more education you have, the more likely you are to earn a higher salary. For example, in general, it is true that people with a bachelor’s degree make nearly twice as much money each year than individuals who only have a high school diploma.

The same belief applies to people who have a master’s degree versus an associate’s degree. Therefore, going back to school and getting your Ph.D. after being unemployed may actually help you get employed again because of how valuable your education makes you in society.

Salary Comparisons According to Gender in Kuwait

Male workers in Kuwait earn an average of 8% more than female employees across all industries. In the government sector, men earn an average of 17% more than women. In private companies, however, the gender gap is less significant.

In Kuwaiti dinar terms, the most common currency unit in use today, a man earns roughly KWD 356 per month on average compared to KWD 331 per month for a woman on average.

This means that male workers on average take home about KWD602 and women approximately KWD 542 every month.

However, these figures don’t reveal anything about why men tend to be paid more than women on average in Kuwait.

It could simply be due to the different types of work that men and women perform or it could just come down to the probability that some professions such as medicine and engineering are mostly comprised of men while most nurses and teachers are women.

In another sense, it could be due to the fact that many households in Kuwait continue to practice a centuries-old tradition of male breadwinners and female housewives.

This is ultimately down to cultural traditions rather than anything else, but it has led to there being more jobs for men than for women in the country and so it would therefore stand to reason that people employed in those sectors would be paid accordingly.

Kuwait’s Average Yearly Income Raise Percentage

How much do Kuwaiti employees get in yearly wage increases? How often do workers get compensation increases?

Kuwaiti employees get a yearly rise in their incomes. The average yearly income raise percentage in Kuwait is 5.9%. The average yearly income raise percentage in the country is always calculated with respect to the previous year’s salaries.

Kuwaiti employees get a yearly raise in their incomes due to government policies set out about wage satisfaction. A new set of wage satisfaction policies was introduced in 2014. This policy encouraged workers to work harder and get a better salary for their work.

In Kuwait, there are not that many paid holidays compared to other countries with a 5 day week and 13 days of annual leave every year!

Kuwaiti employees also receive compensation increases due to hard work and extra efforts they make at work during Ramadan or National Day. Compensation increases differ from a specific number value as it depends on how much effort each employee has put in.

Annual Growth Rates by Industry in Kuwait

Energy – 2%
Travel – 8 %
Retail – 4%
Medical – 2%
Manufacturing – 1%
Construction- 6%
Restaurants, Bars, etc. – 5 %

Businesses operating in strong sectors often grant larger and more regular increases.

While exceptions occur, the economic status of each corporation is inextricably linked to the economic state of the nation or area. These data are subject to change on a regular basis.

Average Salary Increase Rates by Level of Experience

Kuwait has one of the highest average salaries in the region, with more than KWD 300/month for the majority of workers, including Kuwaitis and ex-pats.

However, for people with experience in specific fields or working in specific companies, it is possible to be paid more than double that rate.

The average salary increase rates by people who are new to their jobs (0-5 years career experience) range from 1.2% (less than KWD 120 increase per month) to 5% (KWD 500-600 increase per month), depending on the company’s policy and hiring practices.

For example, many nationalities qualify for an annual increment after completing six months of continuous service with the same employer; however, these increments will vary between companies.

Salaries normally rise according to inflationary trends but not always at the same rate. The lowest increment is 1% and the highest is 5%.

Unfortunately, many companies only grant salary increments once a year (around May), with some around December (1/12 of the previous yearly salary). It, therefore, makes sense to ask for more cash upfront as a signing bonus, especially if you have skills in short supply.

On the other hand, if you sign on with a company during a boom cycle or when they are doing good business, it may be worth your while asking for an extra two months’ salary at mid-contract.

The average salary increase rates by people who have more than 5 years of career experience range from 3% to 10%, depending on their field and work experience.

Bonus Rates in Kuwait

How much money is granted to Kuwaiti workers as a bonus and how often does it occur?

There are many types of bonuses that can be given to employees in companies that fall into different categories such as Appreciation Bonus, Service Award Bonus, Productivity Bonus, or Profit-Sharing Bonuses.

The amount of bonus that workers get vary based on several factors including whether they are full-time or part-time, how long they have been working at their place of employment, and what type of industry they are working in.

Bonuses can either be based on the company’s profits or on the quantity of products/services that are produced.

Depending on these factors, an employee might receive anywhere from 1-5 months’ salary as a bonus. For example, if someone works full-time at their job, they would most likely receive an annual bonus equal to one month’s salary.

However, if someone is part-time then they might only receive half that amount or less.

Furthermore, if this individual works for an industry where goods are having trouble selling, there could be no bonus given at all despite productivity levels being high.

Different Types of Bonuses

Bonuses for Individual Performance

In order to motivate the individual employee, employers often give bonuses for good performance. Many corporations have a policy of giving out yearly bonuses in December or January to reward employees.

For example, a cleaning service might pay its workers a higher hourly rate during Christmas time when they receive many requests from shoppers and business people who want their facilities cleaned before the holidays.

A sales manager may be offered a yearly bonus if his/her sales team has reached an expected level of sales. This is particularly common in retail industries such as big box stores that always monitor revenue and expect it to grow every year.

Bonuses for Company Performance

Incorporations, bonuses are often given to the whole company in addition to individual bonuses. This may be a flat amount for meeting a target or it might be a percentage of overall revenue.

In some cases, the board of directors will vote on options for compensation and place them before shareholders for approval during an annual shareholder meeting.

Bonuses based on company performance are a form of incentive compensation. It is designed to drive productivity by encouraging employees to do their best.

Bonuses Based on Achieved Goals

Bonuses based on achieved goals in an organization are one of the most effective ways to increase motivation and performance.

If employees know exactly what they need to do in order to receive a bonus, their level of engagement is typically much greater than that of employees who do not know how or when they will be rewarded.

Knowing that their efforts are directly linked with their bonuses increases the likelihood that employees will go above and beyond for your company, which can increase productivity.

This type of reward forces employees to constantly monitor company goals, because if those goals are achieved (or surpassed), so are their bonuses.

While this can seem like it’s encouraging game playing, it provides an incentive for team members to monitor other areas as well. For example, if someone sees a customer complaint on social media about an issue she

Holiday / Year-End Bonuses

These bonuses are available each year, on any server. These bonuses are typically given out with the holidays or end-of-year celebrations, but sometimes they are not available.

Holiday or year-end bonuses are given every year. There are companies that are generous enough to give out these bonuses every year, but some companies do not.

Typically they are given on December 28th or 29th for Japan, and often on January 1st for North America. Sometimes they are postponed to be more convenient for the company’s schedule, but this is technically still a holiday bonus.

Comparing Bonus Rates by Career Field

What qualifies a job as deserving of substantial incentives and a high salary in Kuwait?

There are job titles that fit for high incentives and bonuses in Kuwait. They are usually for very specific skilled positions. An example would be the finance field, where they demand high levels of expertise.

Another example would be IT (Information Technology), where they always have a labor shortage in Kuwait.

The third example is management, especially management of firms with more than 100 employees, which is why there are often incentives packages for this job title covering one or two years’ working hours so that the manager can become financially independent within a short time.

Other examples include installation and maintenance engineers who work on telecoms equipment, doctors/nurses/pharmacists at hospitals among other jobs that require high levels of skill and training.

Comparing Seniority-Related Bonuses in Kuwait

Primarily, the seniors will receive a monthly payment that depends on how many years they have served in Kuwait. It’s common that these bonuses are given each month or every six months after working for so long without any interruption or missing work due to sicknesses or injuries.

However, if you’ve missed more than one day – even 2 days now and then during your time at this company, you cannot receive the seniority-related bonus anymore. Because once you’ve reached 50 years of service, you are not supposed to get anything anymore.

The companies have different policies for this subject so it is up to the workers to compare.

It’s good for the worker to know these details about how many months need to be worked without interruption or absence in order for him/her to get the regular payment that comes at the end of each year.

Salary Information For Popular Jobs

Accounting and Finance

Accountant – 910 KWD
Accounting Assistant – 730 KWD
Financial Analyst – 1,020 KWD
Tax Specialist – 1,130 KWD
Auditing Supervisor – 1,200 KWD

Banking and Insurance

Accountant Mgr. – 1080 KWD
Bank Manager- 1,260 KWD
Insurance Account Representative- 920 KWD
Secretary- 720 KWD

Office Administration

Bookkeeper – 830 KWD
Secretarial Assistant – 700 KWD
Office Manager- 970 KWD
Receptionist – 720 KWD

Medical

Secretary – 780 KWD
Personal Secretary- 920 KWD
Medical Office Administrator – 940 KWD
Data Entry – 730 KWD
Clerical Supervisor – 970 KWD

Legal and Law

Lawyer – 1380 KWD
Judicial Clerk – 980 KWD
Real Estate – 950 KWD
Real Estate Salesperson- 1100 KWD

Retail and Customer Service

Retail Store Manager – 1030 KWD
Customer Care Specialist – 1050 KWD
Store Clerk- 770 KWD
Sales Analyst – 890 KWD

Driver

Taxi Driver- 700 KWD
Bus Driver- 840 KWD
Truck driver- 800 KWD

Kuwait’s Average Hourly Wage

Kuwait’s average hourly salary (remuneration per hour) is 7 KWD. This indicates that the typical Kuwaiti gets around seven Kuwaiti dinars for each hour worked.

The hourly wage also depends on the industry and the worker’s position within that industry.

There is no minimum wage in Kuwait, and instead, there are various allowances and bonuses that workers may receive.

The economy of Kuwait has experienced considerable growth over the past decade or so, leading to an upward trend in average income, while at the same time maintaining a low unemployment rate. Salaries are usually paid on a monthly basis with some companies paying twice per month.

It is not uncommon for salaries to be delayed by several months if the company is undergoing financial difficulty, though this depends on the employment contract agreed upon when applying for work with that particular company.

Salary Comparisons Between the Public and Private Sectors

On average, Kuwaiti public sector workers earn 10% more than their private sector. This salary gap is a result of the nationalization boom that took place before the country’s independence.

Kuwait employs about 78% of its labor force in the public sector, where salaries are more stable and secure. In contrast, only 22% of workers are employed by private companies.

The salary comparison between the public and private sectors in Kuwait is one that has been long-standing and still remains true today.