SALARIES: PROFESSIONAL AND HIGHER CATEGORIES

 

The salaries for staff members of the United Nations common system organizations in the Professional and higher categories are established on the basis of the Noblemaire Principle, which embodies two rules: (i) the salaries shall be based on one global salary scale; and (ii) the salaries shall be sufficient to recruit and retain staff members from Member States where the national civil service salaries are the highest, which has been identified as the United States Federal Civil Service. In addition to the salaries reflected in the global salary scale, an additional amount (Post Adjustment) is paid to account for the difference in prices with New York, local inflation, the normal expenditure pattern of staff members and the exchange rate of the local currency relative to the US Dollar.

 

 

Frequently asked questions about salaries in the Professional and higher categories

What are the grade levels in the base salary scales for the Professional and higher categories?

Professional grades (P-1 to P-5), Directors (D-1 and D-2), and the Assistant Secretary-General and Under Secretary-General levels. Staff members in these categories are recruited internationally from the Member States.

How is the Professional and higher categories salary scale determined?

To be able to attract all nationals to a UN career, including the highest-paid, the salaries for the Professional and higher categories are set by reference to the highest-paying national civil service of the Member States.   The federal civil service of the United States of America is used for comparison; the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) has determined that its size and structure and its pay levels provide a significant comparison with the UN. Periodic equivalency studies are made between the grades of jobs in the United Nations system and those in the comparator civil service.

Is the Professional and higher categories salary scale global or local?

The base salary scale for staff in these categories is the same worldwide, and applies across the organizations of the common system, as approved by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the ICSC.

What are the key components of the Professional and higher categories salaries?

The salaries of staff in the Professional and higher categories are made up of a base salary and a post adjustment applicable to the duty station where a staff member is serving, both set in United States dollars.

What is post adjustment?

Post adjustment is a formula for determining a cost-of-living adjustment in each duty station so that the ‘purchasing power’ of staff members is equivalent across the duty stations (you can afford reasonable housing, goods and services of approximately the same value no matter where you are located). The post adjustment is paid in addition to the base salary.

How is the post adjustment for a duty station determined?

Living costs are measured through periodic place-to-place surveys conducted by the ICSC at the duty stations every four or five years. The surveys measure the cost-of-living of a duty station relative to the cost-of-living at the base of the system (New York).
Duty stations with higher costs of living than New York have higher post adjustment indices, while those which are less expensive than New York have lower post adjustment indices. If you have a dependent spouse or child, post adjustment is calculated for the duty station where you are posted regardless of where the dependents reside.
Post adjustment classifications specify the number of multiplier points of post adjustment which may be paid in addition to net base salary at any duty station. One multiplier point is equal to 1 per cent of base salary. ‘Net remuneration’ or the total received by the staff member, is the net base salary plus the post adjustment applicable for a given location.
For example:
If your annual net base salary is $67,000 and the post adjustment multiplier at your duty station of 68.4%, your salary will be calculated like this:
Post adjustment per year: Net base $ 67,000 x 0.684 = US$ 45,828
Total annual salary:
            67,000
+          45,828
= US$ 112,828

 

Find more about

 SALARIES

Bullet point GENERAL SERVICE AND RELATED CATEGORIES

Bullet point FIELD SERVICE CATEGORY

 

Important documents: 
United Nations Common System of Salaries, Allowances and Benefits
The ICSC produces and regularly updates this booklet that explains the policies guiding the system of salaries and allowances and shows in detail how the allowances are calculated. (This booklet is being updated.)
Other related links: 
International Civil Service Commission (ICSC)
The ICSC is mandated to regulate and coordinate the conditions of service of the UN common system and recommends salary scales, allowances and other benefit amounts for approval by the General Assembly.
ICSC Common System Compensation Package Portal
One-stop portal for all you need to know about the new compensation package for the professional category, approved by the General Assembly on December 2015.
United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF)
Provides retirement, disability and survivors' benefits for the staff of organizations that are members of the Fund. Staff who have an appointment of six months or more or who complete six months of service without an interruption of more than 30 days may opt to become participants in the Fund. A full description of these schemes can be found in the UNJSPF Regulations and Rules on the Fund’s website, with contact information, interactive guides, a benefit estimator, booklets on specific topics, and access to relevant forms.