Salary of Saudi professionals to rise by 4.5% in 2019: report

Salaries of Saudi employees are expected to rise by 4.5 percent next year as the overall unemployment rate is likely to decline to its lowest level in 2019, Arab News reported, citing a survey by Mercer.

Based on a survey of 450 local and multinational organizations operating within the Kingdom, Mercer said Saudi Arabia’s GDP is expected to grow to 3.6 percent in 2019, compared to 1.3 percent in 2018.

This growth is expected to create more jobs, could increase salaries for Saudi nationals and bring down the overall national unemployment rate, Arab News report added.

Mercer survey also found that the annual base remuneration of executive, managerial and professional levels has grown on a yearly basis and is expected to rise by an average of 5 percent in 2019.

While noting that the Saudi women unemployment rate has come down, the Mercer survey noted that the overall unemployment rate in the Kingdom increased in 2018.

However, the survey expects the overall unemployment rate to reach its lowest level in five years in 2019.