A guide to average wages and salaries in #Qatar
With its recently passed labor regulations, having a minimum wage in Qatar is now a legal reality and expats should do their homework and know their rights when it comes to working there.
An expat hub for people from across the world, Qatar is a veritable melting pot of cultures. In fact, Qatar employs the vast majority of its workers from abroad, in areas ranging from teaching to IT, and finance to gardening. Unsurprisingly, average salaries in Qatar are just as variable. We walk you through the factors that affect your salary, as well as minimum wage laws and options for reporting labor abuses. Read on to find out about:
The minimum wage in Qatar
What to do if you’re not being paid the minimum wage
Average salaries in Qatar
The gender pay gap in Qatar
Salaries and wages for expats in Qatar
What to do if your salary is too low in Qatar
The minimum wage in Qatar
Qatar set a minimum wage in 2017, which currently stands at QR1,000 per month. The employer also has to allocate QR500 per month for accommodation and QR300 for food, unless already provided. In addition, no new contracts will be approved unless they first meet these basic needs.
Reading a work contract
The government also announced the elimination of exit visas for some workers; under which workers couldn’t leave the country without employer permission. However, this excluded domestic workers and up to 5% of a company’s staff. But even with the new law, some workers still face labor rights abuses in Qatar.
What to do if you’re not being paid the minimum wage in Qatar
The Qatari government encourages workers with complaints about their employers, wages, and other challenges to lodge a complaint with the Labor Relations Department of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor, and Social Affairs. The required form can be found on the government’s Hukoomi website and, after completing it, you should receive an SMS from the Labor Relations Department acknowledging receipt and explaining the next steps.
Average salaries in Qatar
Qatar hosts expats from all over the world, working in every field; from construction to surgery to driving to air traffic control. As such, it is impossible to speak of an average salary throughout the peninsula.
Construction workers in Qatar
In 2013, the average Qatari household, comprising around eight or nine people, earned QR72,700 per month. This is nearly three times what the average (Western) expat household, of four or five people, earned, at QR24,400 monthly. For low-income expats, the story is murkier because there are few statistics on what workers in low-skilled sectors earn. According to salary survey site salaryexplorer, the average monthly salary in Qatar in 2022 is QR15,700.
Prepare your CV for the Qatari job market
Average salaries in Qatar by sector
In Qatar, your salary will depend vastly on your background, your skills, your passport, and how tough a negotiator you are. Here are some average monthly salaries by sector (from salaryexplorer):
Civil Engineer: QR14,000
Customer Service Representative: QR5,810
Waitstaff: QR4,980
Hotel Manager: QR28,100
Accountant: QR10,400
Teacher: QR11,500
Translator: QR13,300
CEO: QR35,300
Salary checker in Qatar
For information about specific positions and job levels, check out Glassdoor.
The gender pay gap in Qatar
On an international level, Qatar remains a gender unequal country. In 2021, the country scored 142nd out of 156 in the WEF Global Gender Gap Report. The report took a holistic measure of gender equality, including education, health, and labor sectors. Although Qatar remains committed to achieving gender parity, progress is slow.
Veiled woman working in an office
Salaries and wages for expats in Qatar
Low-income expats
About 95% of Qatar’s labor force, more than 2 million people, are expats; many of whom are low-income expats from places like Nepal, the Philippines, and India. Until 2017, Qatar had no official minimum wage. With the impending World Cup in 2022, however, the country has been under increased scrutiny for its labor laws and practices.
Qatar riyal notes in a wallet
Qatar has long practiced the kafala (sponsorship) system, which gives employers overwhelming control over employees; including confiscating identification documents, control over issuing exit visas, working hours, changing jobs, and payment terms. For years, human rights groups have brought attention to the situation facing migrant workers in Qatar.
High-income expats
The sad dichotomy in Qatar is that while low-income expats from Pakistan can legally be paid as little as QR1,000 a month, high-income expats from Europe, North America, and Australia, can earn tens of times more. Generally, Western expats – the minority of expats in Qatar – are offered very attractive compensation packages, including relocation, accommodation, and child education benefits. The issue of minimum wage in Qatar, therefore, isn’t a major concern for high-income expats. Instead, Western expats tend to focus on negotiating the most competitive benefits package possible.
What to do if your salary is below the minimum wage in Qatar
Unfortunately, it is difficult to renegotiate your salary once you have signed a contract with your employer. Your best bet is to make sure that your compensation package is ideal before you sign a contract. If, however, your company is not paying you your full salary or if their payments are delayed, you can file a complaint with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour & Social Affairs (MADLSA). Keep in mind, however, that this could cause conflict with your employer, so research your rights thoroughly and try to keep some money saved just in case.
