Saudi Arabia Publishes Engineer Salaries for Foreign Applicants, Lists Pay by Qualification

Saudi Arabia Publishes Engineer Salaries for Foreign Applicants, Lists Pay by Qualification

  • Saudi Arabia published an official payroll structure for foreign engineers, covering three qualification levels under a royal decree
  • The salary scale includes a basic pay component and an experience allowance, with a 15% cost-of-living adjustment applied across all grades
  • Engineers with a PhD qualification attract the highest maximum earnings under the published schedule

Saudi Arabia has released an official salary structure for engineers recruited from abroad, setting out basic pay, experience allowances, and maximum earnings for three qualification levels in line with a royal decree.

The payroll figures apply to foreign engineers and incorporate a cost-of-living allowance of 15%, as required under Royal Decree No. A/23, dated 20 March 1432 AH.

Foreign engineers in Saudi Arabia receive structured salaries, experience allowances, and cost-of-living benefits under the royal decree.
Saudi Arabia sets official engineer salaries for foreign recruits, with monthly pay reaching SAR 17,125 for PhD-qualified professionals. Photo credit: Britannica
Source: UGC

The schedule covers holders of a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a doctorate in engineering, with salary ceilings determined by both qualification and years of experience.

What Engineers can earn by qualification

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

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    • Basic Salary: 6,900
    • Experience Allowance: 345 per year
    • Maximum Years of Experience: 15
    • Maximum Salary: 12,075

Master's Degree (MSc) in Engineering

    • Basic Salary: 8,050
    • Experience Allowance: 405 per year
    • Maximum Years of Experience: 15
    • Maximum Salary: 14,125

PhD in Engineering

    • Basic Salary: 9,775
    • Experience Allowance: 490 per year
    • Maximum Years of Experience: 15
    • Maximum Salary: 17,125

Note: These payroll figures already include the 15% cost-of-living allowance as stipulated by Royal Decree No. A/23 dated 20/03/1432 AH.

Under the published scale, a foreign engineer holding a bachelor's degree in engineering starts on a basic monthly salary of 6,900 Saudi riyals, with an experience allowance of 345 riyals. The allowance accumulates over a maximum of 15 years of recognised experience, bringing the highest possible monthly salary for this category to 12,075 riyals.

Engineers with a master's degree receive a higher starting point of 8,050 riyals per month, with an experience allowance of 405 riyals applicable over the same 15-year maximum. At the top of that scale, the maximum monthly salary reaches 14,125 riyals.

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The most lucrative category is reserved for PhD holders in engineering, who start on a basic salary of 9,775 riyals per month. Their experience allowance is set at 490 riyals, and after 15 years of recognised experience, the maximum monthly salary climbs to 17,125 riyals.

How the experience allowance works

The structure awards engineers a fixed monthly increment for each year of relevant experience, up to a ceiling of 15 years. Beyond that threshold, no additional allowance is added to the base salary, meaning the published maximum figures represent the absolute upper limit for each qualification grade.

The 15% cost-of-living adjustment confirmed in the royal decree is already factored into all the figures published in the schedule.

The 30 qualifying categories referenced in the payroll framework indicate that the salary structure applies across a broad range of engineering disciplines, though the specific fields covered were not broken down in the published data.

Salary scale for health workers in Saudi Arabia

Legit.ng earlier reported that Saudi Arabia has released the official salary structure for foreign health workers employed in its public health sector, covering roles from resident physicians to health assistants, with pay rates varying based on qualifications and the country where those qualifications were obtained.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Basit Jamiu avatar

Basit Jamiu (Current Affairs and Politics Editor) Basit Jamiu is an AFP-certified journalist. He is a current affairs and politics editor at Legit.ng. He holds a bachelor's degree from Nasarawa State University (2023). Basit previously worked as a staff writer at Ikeja Bird (2022), Associate Editor at Prime Progress (2022). He is a 2025 CRA Grantee, 2024 Open Climate Fellow (West Africa), 2023 MTN Media Fellow. Email: basitjamiu1st@gmail.com and basit.jamiu@corp.legit.ng.