Skip to main content

Caribbean salary survey

 

In a recent Caribbean salary survey, Barbados has emerged as the top-paying country, with businesses in the region compensating their employees above market value for more than half of the 30 job roles examined. According to the PayPulse 2023 report published by The Caribbean Society for Human Resource Professionals (CSHRP) in Jamaica, Barbados outperforms both Antigua & Barbuda and Jamaica in terms of annual gross salaries, excluding benefits and incentives.

The survey, covering 26 regional industries, found that Barbados pays above market value for 16 out of the 30 surveyed roles, accounting for 53.3%. The roles common to all three countries – Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, and Jamaica – include Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Customer Service Representative, and Human Resources Manager.

Barbados leads the ranking for basic annual salaries in key positions such as CEO (US$75,000), Accountant (US$33,843), and Administrative Assistant (US$15,107). However, it pays below market value for Auditor and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The report suggests that the variation in pay scales within the Barbados marketplace contributes to this phenomenon.

Despite the high salaries, the survey highlights a concern about the backlog of unfair dismissal cases at the Labour Department and the Employment Rights Tribunal in Barbados, indicating that challenges in labor dispute resolution persist.

The survey, encompassing responses from Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, emphasizes the complexity of salary structures within industries. The banking, financial services, and insurance sector stand out as a dual contributor to both the highest and lowest paying categories, reflecting variability in compensation within the same industry for different roles.

In conclusion, while Barbados excels in offering high salaries across various job roles, challenges in labor dispute resolution and disparities within industries underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to address issues and maintain fairness in compensation.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Employee Goes Berserk and Explodes at the Rubis Coverley Service Station Pump in Barbados: Was This a Preventable Workplace Breakdown?

Image
A Workplace Commentary on the Rubis Coverley Incident By  Peter MacD Earle BSc, LLM, Employment Law Consultant On Friday, May 17, 2025, Barbadians awoke to disturbing news involving the aftermath of a workplace conflict that escalated dramatically. Daniel Arnold Vincent Belle, 38, a former employee of the Rubis Coverley gas station in Christ Church, appeared in the District “B” Magistrates’ Court and admitted to causing extensive damage to the station—an estimated $7,000 worth—just days after his dismissal from the company. The incident involved the smashing of a glass door, breaking two windows, damaging a display unit, and tearing off seven fuel pump nozzles. Surveillance footage led to Belle’s arrest in Oistins. While this act of destruction was clearly criminal, the context in which it occurred raises serious concerns about workplace conflict, employer responsibilities, and the role of mental health in employment relations. . Let me be clear from the outset: I do not have any a...
Read more

Barbados' Minimum Wage Time Bomb: Are Businesses Being Set Up to Fail?

Image
   Peter MacD Earle BSc, LLM Employment Law Leicester De Montfort Law School Effective June 1, 2025, Barbados will implement a new minimum wage of $420 per week, a 23.5% increase from the current $340. In addition, legislation proposes an automatic 2% annual wage increase starting in January 2026. But beneath this progressive façade lies a stark, structural truth: Barbados has neither the machinery to enforce the law nor the political will to protect the most vulnerable. While this policy signals social justice on paper, in practice it could collapse under its own contradictions—and set workers, employers, and the economy up for failure. ________________________________________ The Illusion of Legal Protection While the government trumpets the wage hike as a win for working-class families, Barbados remains woefully unequipped to enforce the new standard. Consider: • Thousands of workers never received the current $340 minimum wage. • Many will not receive the new $420 rate...
Read more

Former BWA Boss in Barbados Fired from WASA After $13.4M Plan Collapses

Image
  By Peter MacD Earle BSc. LLM | Employment Law Consultant | June 2025 From BWA to WASA: The Rise and Fall of Keithroy Halliday St. Kitts-born Keithroy Halliday was appointed General Manager of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) on February 15, 2017, bringing a strong track record in strategic leadership and regional public sector reform. Over the next seven years, he would become a defining figure in the BWA’s modernization efforts—managing national emergencies such as the South Coast sewage crisis and spearheading an island-wide mains replacement initiative. By 2020, Halliday had risen to Acting Chief Executive Officer, a role he held during a period of deep organizational restructuring. His resignation in August 2024 marked the end of a significant chapter in the BWA’s evolution—and the beginning of a controversial new role abroad as CEO of Trinidad and Tobago’s Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), from which he would be abruptly dismissed less than a year later amid sweeping po...
Read more