Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM — Saudi women are less paid then men in the non-government sectors, Makkah daily said on Sunday quoting the quarterly report of the labor market.

In the government sector, there is none or very little difference in the average wages between Saudi men and women doing the same work.

The report said the non-Saudi women in the private sector receive monthly average salaries of SR5,204 while non-Saudi men receive only SR3,676.

According to the report, covering the first three months of the year 2017, the Saudis working in the business sector receive higher pay than those working in the other private sectors and also the government.

The report said Saudi men in the business sector receive an average monthly salary of SR14,240 while the Saudi women are paid SR11,618.

Mohammed Al-Naji, member of the Administrative and Human Resources Committee of the Shoura Council, said the labor law prohibits giving different salaries to men and women doing the same work.

He said the difference in the average monthly salaries between men and women in the private sector might be due to the different type of work they do.

"Some private sectors are not yet prepared for the female jobs and they employ women to do certain functions only," he said.

Al-Naji said some expatriate women are paid more than expatriate men in certain private sectors including education and health because they are more on demand there.

According to the report, the average salaries of men with 15 years experience or more in the government sector are SR10,480 while the non-Saudis doing the same job may receive a maximum salary of SR9,406.

In the private sector, the minimum wage of a Saudi is SR5,305 while the maximum can go up to SR8,025 and the non-Saudi is paid minimum SR3,707 and maximum SR5,204.

In the business sector, the average salary of a Saudi employee may go up to14,240 while the expatriates are paid a maximum salary of SR12,191.

In the family sector the Saudis may receive a monthly salary of SR4,180 while the expatriates are paid a maximum salary of SR1,204.

In the sector of the house helps, the Saudis are paid up to SR4,852 while the expatriate housemaids receive a maximum salary of 1,985.