A new salary guide has shown what employees can demand in 190 different roles in Saudi Arabia.

In its Saudi Arabia Salary Guide 2023, Hays Middle East has provided comprehensive salary data for roles across nine industries in the Kingdom, from accounting and finance, construction and property, HR, legal, manufacturing, marketing and digital, procurement and supply chain, sales, and technology.

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Employees work at the Saudi National Health Emergency Operations Center (NHEOC) in the capital Riyadh on May 3, 2020, during the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. (File photo: AFP)

The highest paid jobs are in the construction and property sector, with some roles commanding as high as $93,000 in a single month, according to the report.

It was also highlighted that the labor market in Saudi Arabia is robust and dynamic, with high levels of recruitment activity across various sectors. In 2022, 70 percent of employers reported that their organization’s headcount increased, most commonly by more than 10 percent. This is a significant increase from the 43 percent of employers who reported the same in 2021.

Recruitment activity in the Kingdom shows no signs of slowing, with 89 percent of employers planning to recruit permanent employees in 2023. Most employers are focusing their recruitment efforts in-country in Riyadh (69 percent), Jeddah (56 percent), and/or the Eastern Province (41 percent). With organizations competing for the best talent, opportunities abound for individuals with the most sought-after skills.

The Hays Saudi Arabia Salary Guide also indicates that 53 percent of employees received a salary increase in 2022. The most common rate of change increased from 5 percent or less to between 6 – 10 percent, reflecting salary growth in the country. A significant 79 percent of employers expect salaries within their organization to increase in 2023, further indicating the economy’s positive trajectory.

Commenting on the guide, Aaron Fletcher, Senior Manager at Hays Saudi Arabia, said: “A vibrant labor market and increasing salary growth, combined with a positive economic and employment outlook, make Saudi Arabia an attractive destination for job seekers.”

He continued, “The economy has emerged as one of the fastest-growing globally, defying global economic uncertainties. The impressive performance is attributed to the successful implementation of Vision 2030, which has introduced new initiatives and projects, helping to diversify the economy and generate non-oil revenue. The main catalysts for growth, expansion, and transformation are the flagship giga-projects, which span sectors and regions across the Kingdom.”

What should you be earning per month?

Hays revealed the salary range for a broad spectrum of jobs. Salaries shown represent the total fixed monthly salary package for each position.

Accounting and finance

The highest paying job in accounting and finance is the role of a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with a monthly salary range between $23,000 a month and $37,000 a month. The average salary in this position is about $32,000.

Finance directors can earn, on average, about $20,000 a month, followed by head of internal audits ($20,000), finance controller ($12,000), audit manager ($10,650), finance manager ($9,300), senior accountant ($6,120), credit controller ($5,860), financial analysist ($5,860), and accountants ($4,260).

Construction and property

The highest paying jobs in construction and property are in the C-Suite – commanding between $33,270 and $93,000 for the top-level roles. The average salary is $63,000.

Executive directors can earn, on average, about $30,000, followed by project directors ($22,600), architecture director ($21,290) and development directors and urban planning directors ($21,290).

Pay for the following roles are as follows; property managing directors $16,000, leasing director $16,000, facilities director $15,300, senior project manager $14,640, senior contracts manager $14,640, commercial manager $12,640, contracts manager $12,640, project manager $12,640, senior HSEQ manager $12,00, construction manager $9,300, senior quantity surveyor $9,300, community manger $8,000, sales and leasing manager $8,000, property manager $7,700, senior architect $7,200, project architect $6,650 and senior interior designer $6,650

HR

The highest paid job in Human Resources is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), who can command between $26,600 and $40,000 a month.

This is followed by HR directors, who can earn, on average, about $21,290 a month and HR business partners ($10,000).

Other roles from HR manager, leaving and development managers, talent acquisition managers, compensation and benefits manager, HR generalist, recruitment specialist, and down to HR assistant – earn between $3,327 – $9,000 a month.

Legal

The highest paid job in Legal is chief legal officer. An employee in this role can command up to $37,260 a month, although the average salary is about $32,000 a month.

This is followed by general counsel ($24,000), legal director/head (about $20,000) and senior legal counsel ($14,000).

The lowest paid legal job is legal secretary ($4,500).

Manufacturing

The highest paid job in manufacturing is a general manager who can command about $21,300 a month. This is followed by operations director ($17,300), manufacturing director ($16,630), quality director ($16,000) and head of operations ($13,300).

Other roles from head of manufacturing, head of HSE, operations manager, manufacturing manager, plat or factory manager, technical manager, quality manager, and production manager vary between an average of $12,000 to an average of $6,650 a month.

Marketing and digital

The highest paid job in marketing and digital is VP or the chief marketing officer (CMO), who can earn, on average, about $30,000 a month.

This followed by digital marketing directors ($20,000) and marketing and communications directors ($18,600), marketing and communication managers ($12,640), head of performance ($12,000), trade marketing manager ($10,000), social media manager ($9,300) and brand manager ($8,650).

Procurement and supply chain

The highest paid job in procurement and supply chain is the supply chain director ($20,000 a month), followed by procurement director ($17,300), and head of supply chain ($14,640).

The following jobs are the next in seniority, logistics director, head of procurement, head of logistics, supply chain manager, strategic sourcing manager, procurement manager, contracts manufacturer, logistics manager, category manager.

Salaries vary from $6,650 to $13,300.

Sales

The highest paid job in sales is the country sales director – commanding an estimated $26,600 on average but as much as $32,000 a month.

The following jobs are the next in seniority; general manager, commercial director, solutions sales director, sales director, business development director, head of sales, commercial manager, country manager, business development manager and sales manager. Salaries vary from $24,000 to $8,650.

The least paid person in sales is the key account manager – who gets about a quarter of the country director’s monthly pay cheque – about $$6,650.

Technology

The highest paid job in technology is in the field of CXO and IT leadership. There, the chief information officer gets paid about $26,600 a month, followed by the chief digital officer ($24,000), the roles of chief information security officer and chief technology officer (both $22,620) and chief product officer ($21,290).

There are more than 60 different roles in technology across the sectors of CXO and IT leadership, information and cyber security, project delivery and business analysis, presales and solutions architecture, ERP and enterprise applications, software engineering, cloud infrastructure and networking, data science and analytics, and product management.

The average salary is between $6,650 and $14,640.

The lowest paid job is IT support analyst ($4,630).

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