Methodology
Survey methodology.
How compensation data is collected, validated, analysed and reported.
Who can participate
The inaugural edition is open to employers operating in Bahrain. Other GCC markets will follow.
When registering, an organisation states its industry, ownership type and size band: 1-49, 50-249, 250-999, 1,000-4,999 or 5,000+ employees.
Survey timeline
- Registration starts: 1 November 2026
- Data collection: 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027
- Validation and clarification: As and when required
- Data freeze: 31 January 2027
- Report release to participants: Early March 2027
What is collected
- Anonymised employee-level records, and aggregate cells for bulk roles.
- No employee names, national IDs, passport numbers or personal contact details.
- Optional context fields: nationality category (where lawful), gender, age band, education, and years of service.
- Pay data is as at the survey reference date: 31 October 2026 for the inaugural edition.
Pay components collected
- Monthly basic salary.
- Contractual monthly allowances: housing, food, transport, site, communication and other.
- Annual variable pay: target and actual, with the type of plan and payout date.
- Thirteenth-month bonus: whether it is paid and whether it is mandatory.
- Average monthly overtime and the overtime arrangement.
- Equity award details.
- Non-monetary benefits and benefits tier, including accommodation and transport arrangements.
- Normal weekly hours.
- Annual guaranteed fixed cash is calculated as (basic salary + monthly allowances) x 12.
- Currency: Bahraini Dinars and optional USD reporting
Job classification
Each role is matched to a standard job profile based on its responsibilities, not its title. Uncertain matches are reviewed by Roshcomm administrators, and every change is logged.
Every profile has a job family, a job function and a career level. The career levels are:
- Entry: early-career or trainee role performing defined tasks under close guidance.
- Junior: performs routine tasks with some independence, under regular supervision.
- Professional: fully qualified individual contributor who works independently in a specialist area.
- Senior Professional: experienced specialist who handles complex work and guides others.
- Lead / Principal: top-level individual contributor who sets technical direction without formal line management.
- Supervisory: first-line leader who directs the day-to-day work of a team.
- Manager: manages a team or function and is accountable for its results, budget and people.
- Senior Manager: manages a larger function or several teams, usually through other managers.
- Director: leads a major department or function and contributes to organisational strategy.
- Executive: member of senior leadership accountable for a division or function.
- Senior Executive (EVP/SVP): top executive layer reporting to the chief executive, accountable for large business units.
- C-Suite / Chief Executive: chief executive and chief officers accountable for the whole organisation.
For bulk and blue-collar roles, the skill grades are:
- Helper: performs basic tasks under direct instruction.
- Semi-skilled: performs routine tasks that need some training.
- Skilled: qualified tradesperson or technician who works independently.
- Highly skilled: advanced tradesperson or technician with specialist or certified expertise.
- Supervisory: leads a crew or team of workers.
Validation
- Completeness and format checks on every submission.
- Consistency checks, for example full-time-equivalent staff cannot exceed headcount.
- Statistical outlier checks, and checks for unusual overtime and allowance levels.
- Participants are asked to clarify or correct flagged data before it is used.
Analysis
- Results show the median and percentiles by role, level, sector, location and workforce category.
- Calculations are weighted by employee or full-time-equivalent counts.
- Participants see how their own pay compares with the market for their matched roles.
Minimum sample rules
A result is published only when all of the following are met:
- At least 5 employees in the group.
- At least 3 participating employers in the group.
- No single employer contributes more than 40% of the data in the group.
- Percentiles are shown only when there are at least 10 data points.
Results that do not meet these rules are hidden.
Independent review
The methodology will be reviewed by an independent team of compensation and benefits specialists.
Limitations
The inaugural edition reflects participating employers only and may not represent the whole market. Coverage will grow with each edition.