There are plenty of talks about how much underpaid many workers in Saudi Arabia are. In many cases people are talking about receiving wages lower that what’s stipulated in working contracts.
Yet as the below graph shows, the salary gap between entry and top level wage earners in Saudi Arabia is quite high. Part of this is because entry level workers such as laborer and others that don’t require specialized skill are abundant.
On one other side of the table, CEOs and executives are very well-paid, in fact, the Gulf Business 2014 Salary Survey found out that Saudi employers pay highest among top-tier executive jobs.
On the other, it’s just downright depressing. Most of unskilled and lowly-paid come from South Asia and other Arab states and willing to take on lower salaries. Needless to say many of them fail or do a proper research and accept whatever job is on offer even if salary is very low. Lack of understanding about Saudi Arabia and sometimes mere consideration of the value of salary in terms of the home country is the only consideration.
Yet as soon as they receive their first salary in Saudi Arabia, reality sets in. The amount they receive may provide them with good life if they were in their home countries. But not in Saudi Arabia where they have to deal with long-distance phone bills, entertainment and other expenses. Soon displeasure and lack of motivation to work — coupled with harsh working conditions — sets in, brewing discontent over salary discrimination.
So it is always a good idea to do a research before accepting work offer — unless you’re always happy even if you are underpaid.
[table “” not found /]Data source: http://gulfbusiness.com/
