Good day all,
In hopes of helping a few newcomers to Kuwait with the idea of salary expectations, living costs etc. I am preparing this post.
Unfortunately, there really is no nominal value I can give for average salaries. No one can, that information does not exist online because in this part of the world, it is a bit of a taboo to ask someone how much they make (much like it is to ask a woman her age), and as you will read later, there are alot of factors to consider for salary.
e.g. http://www.worldsalaries.org/kuwait.shtml (these are ficticious)
And also, there are many intrinsic factors that go into selecting a job, like the ones discussed here:
http://www.askmen.com/money/career_400/ … -work.html
First off, a brief about companies in Kuwait.
There are 4 types of companies here in Kuwait:
W.L.L - With Limited Liability (no taxes)
K.S.C - Kuwait Shareholding Co. (pay zakat tax and KFAS)
K.S.C (Closed) - Companies listed on Kuwait Stock Exchange (pay zakat tax, National Labor Support Tax and Kuwait Fund for Advancement of Science)
International companies - with Kuwaiti Partners, pay income tax
For more info regarding doing business in Kuwait and setting up a company here, please visit http://en.mof.gov.kw/
There are also foreign companies operating in Kuwait, but they MUST have a Kuwaiti partner, and before anyone says anything, I have worked with the Ministry of Finance and this is a practice in other countries around the world, you cannot start a business without a local partner.
There are differences in benefits given by the government, size of contracts one company can assume, number of employees etc. as you can see, the above would appear to be a scale for companies in Kuwait, start off as WLL, become KSC then KSCC and get traded on the stock exchange.
But it is not.
Al-Ghanim - WLL, Al-Sayer - WLL, Al-Mulla - WLL. Family owned businesses.
Now, for salaries, please visit this website and ACTUALLY read this report, prepared annually, on average costs and salary raises in the ENTIRE Gulf. Ok? Please read it:
http://www.gulftalent.com/home/Employme … rt-26.html
Also, Gulftalent is a recruitment website for those seeking to work in Kuwait.
Now, the whole idea about asking for "salary quotes" for working in Kuwait is redundant. Here is why, nationality plays a key role in determining Salary, the salary of a Kuwaiti working the same job as an expat (of certain origins) will be always be more, that is why you have NLSTax.
Also, the following factors affect salary:
1) Nationality (not all the time but sometimes)
2) Experience
4) Age
4) Gender
5) Size of Company
6) Nationality of Company
7) Competition in the job market
8) Type of job (contract, full-time etc)
9) Duration of contract (some people do not get residency [Western expats] and instead work for 3-months, leave the country, and come back in)
So it is not a nominal figure you are looking for when it comes to salary. There is also rent to consider, and living costs.
I would say the average rent is 250KD, I know people making less than that, or a bit more, and surviving (no savings ofcourse), and some of them have wives etc.
Part-time jobs are not legal in Kuwait per se (you need a residency to work here unless you are a Western expat, and even then you are not allowed to work on a tourist visa [technically])
Some companies offer higher salaries than others, some offer more benfits than others, some offer other allowances (housing, transport, car, fuel, phone etc), some do not.
For all interested in working in Kuwait, do not ask what the average salary is, as that is irrelevant.
Salaries in Kuwait are not set according to some pre-existing standard or average.
ALSO, some companies will factor in the fact that they have to pay to give you an iqama (residency), and it will be deducted from your base salary, they won't tell you about this but, it happens. Thats why people who are already here and are merely transferring to another job will get better packages than those coming from abroad (for the same job ofcourse).
Plus, not all companies have "raises" and "bonuses", despite it being a requirement (in some companies), they just claim they are going through financial difficulties.
I hope this clears up the confusion regarding salaries in Kuwait, its not a matter of "what salary can I get" or "what salary should I ask for", with every recruitment companies have a threshold, if you go above it, they will tell you, if you go beneath it, well, it depends on them (I did sit in an interview where I was asked for my expected salary, I threw a figure, and the counter offer was higher).
So, best of luck to all, enjoy the read and sorry for rambling.
If you are going to be working in Kuwait, make yourself familiar with the Kuwait Labor Law:
http://www.kuwaitiah.net/visa5.html
There are 3 types of over-time calculated for workers as per the labor law:
1) NOT- Normal OT, extra hours during weekdays. 1.25X basic salary
2) FOT - Friday OT, 1.5X basic salary if working on friday
3) HOT - Holiday OT, 2X basic salary if working on public holiday
Some companies give a lump-sum for over-time, some do not give over-time all together, some have a standard rate. They will include this in the contract you sign, and that supercedes the labor law.
Companies also require a 3-month notice period (per labor law), but this can be agreed upon with manager, even if contract states 3 months.
Nothing is set in stone.
*www.bayt.com offers a salary inquiry for jobs in Kuwait, you will need to sign up and enter your current package wherever you are in the world, you can also view salary inquiries in the Gulf region, and as always, those that pay for the extra service get extra info. It also helps when looking for a new job in the Gulf Region as it is a recruitment website.
Thnx mon ami
:
Finding work in Kuwait
Finding jobs in Kuwait
How to drive in Kuwait
Leisure activities in Kuwait
Banking and finances in Kuwait
Languages spoken in Kuwait
Find the best location to live in Kuwait
The healthcare system in Kuwait
