In demand Filipino nannies are the highest-paid domestic workers in the kingdom, according to a new wages study, taking home almost twice as much as the lowest paid workers from Ethiopia.
The study, titled ‘The 2026 GCC Domestic Worker Salary Report’ was conducted by GCC Domestic, a directory that connects families with verified domestic worker agencies across the region.
Sourced from more than 2,100 government sources and licensed agencies, the study revealed verified salary benchmarks for maids, nannies, cooks and drivers across all six GCC countries.
“Domestic worker salaries across the GCC rose between three and seven per cent in 2026 compared with 2025,” the study said. “The strongest gains were recorded for Filipino workers in the UAE (7pc) and Ethiopian workers in Saudi Arabia (5pc).
“UAE remains the highest-paying market in nominal terms for most nationality groups, with a median Filipino-maid salary of AED2,000 (BD200) per month.
“Saudi Arabia and Qatar follow closely. Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman pay lower nominal amounts but offer comparable purchasing power once cost-of-living is factored in.
“Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) continues to lead the region in digital infrastructure with the most developed Application Programming Interface (API) for verified third-party platforms.”
According to the study, Filipino nannies lead the way with the highest average payment of BD195. The lowest recorded payment is BD170 and the highest paid nannies earn BD220.
This is followed by Filipino maids, who earn a median of BD155. The lowest salary recorded is BD140, while the highest is BD170.
The distinction between the two lies in their duties. Maids manage household cleaning and chores, while nannies are dedicated childcare professionals.
Indonesian maids follow with a median payment of BD125, with the lowest payment being BD110 and the highest being BD140.
Indian maids earn a median payment of BD115. The minimum salary is BD100, and the highest is at BD130.
Finally, Ethiopian maids earn the lowest median salary in the kingdom with just BD105 per month, with the lowest being only BD90, and the highest being BD120.
As for drivers, Indian and Pakistani drivers earn a median salary of BD210 each month, with the lowest being BD180 and highest being BD240.
This trend remains consistent throughout the GCC in general. The highest earning domestic workers in the UAE are once again Filipino nannies (AED2,500 or BD250), followed by Filipino maids (AED2,000 or BD200).
In Saudi Arabia, the nannies earn SAR2,300 per month (BD230) and maids earn SAR1,900 (BD190).
As for Kuwait, nannies earn KWD180 (around BD220) and maids earn KWD145 (around BD177) per month.
In Qatar, nannies earn QAR2,250 per month (around BD225) while maids earn QAR1,900 (around BD190).
Finally, in Oman, nannies earn OMR180 (around BD175) and maids earn OMR 145 (around BD140) on average per month.
As for the nationalities with the lowest pays, Bangladeshi maids earn the least in UAE and Saudi Arabia (AED1,250 and SAR1,100 respectively). This is despite a 2pc growth across the GCC.
The study estimates that a large supply pool of Bangladeshi domestic workers is what keeps the wages down in comparison to other nationalities.
Ethiopians meanwhile, earn the lowest wages in the remaining countries, including KWD95 in Kuwait, QAR1,300 in Qatar and OMR97 in Oman.
An Ethiopia-Saudi bilateral agreement has contributed to increasing the wages of Ethiopian-based domestic workers in Saudi Arabia by 5pc.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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