RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/442  
 
1 March 2018  
(18-1304) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
 
2018 WTO SALARY SURVEY  
1.  The purpose of this paper is to provide the Committee with information about the annual salary 
survey which leads to a 1.17% decrease  to the 201 8 salary scale.  
Salary Survey  
2.  In accordance with the Salary Adjustment Methodology, set out in Annex B of the Staff 
Regulations  (see Appendix 1) , the 201 8 salary survey has been carried out comparing WTO 
salaries with those of the market comparators, the United Nations an d the Coordinated 
Organizations.  The background relating to the introduction of the current methodology1 in 2004 is 
contained in document WT/BFA/64 . 
3.  In order to determine the adjustment to be made to the WTO Salary Scale each year, the WTO 
salary levels, a t the midpoint in each grade, are compared to the international midpoint salary 
levels in the two comparators, the United Nations (Geneva salary levels) and the Coordinated 
Organizations (Paris salary levels converted to Swiss Francs ). A 70% weight is appl ied to the 
United Nations salary levels, with the remaining 30% weight placed on the Coordinated 
Organizations salary levels.  
4.  Document WT/BFA/64 and Appendix 1 provide further elaboration on the technical details of 
the methodology.   
5.  Appendix 2 shows the  adjustments made to the WTO salary scale between 1999 and 201 7. 
6.  In 201 8, professional s alary levels in the United Nations (70% of the weight)  remained stable. 
However, a significant decrease to the Post Adjustment factor for Switzerland  resulted in a  5% 
decrease  to salaries in Geneva. The decreased Post Adjustment factor is, at this stage, only 
applied to newly recruited staff in the UN. Existing staff are currently in receipt of a special 
transitional allowance, resulting in unchanged net salaries for staff hired before 2018  as at 1 
January . The WTO salary methodology does not foresee the inclusion of special allowances in the 
salary comparison and the full impact of the drop in the Post Adjustment f actor for Geneva is 
therefore taken into account in th e 2018 salary survey.   
7.  United Nations  salaries for staff in the General Service category increased by 0.6%,  with the 
issuance of a new local salary scale in September  2017.  A frozen salary continues to be applicable 
to staff in the General Service  category  recruited before June 2016  following a 1.8% reduction to 
the salary scale in mid -2016. 
8.  Salaries in the Coordinated Organization (30% of the weight ) increase d by 1.4% effective 
1 January 201 8. 
9.  The application of the methodology  leads to a decrease by 1.17% of the 2018 salary scale.  
                                                
1 Prior to the introduction of the this methodology, salary adjustments were based the movement of the 
Swiss COLA compared to the movements of civil service pay in five countries (France, Germany, Japan, UK and 
US). WT/BFA/W/442  
 
- 2 - 
 
  10.  The frozen salary scales, set out in appendix 3, remain untouched and  will be maintained until 
such time that they are overtaken by the salary levels in the comparators.  A new frozen scale will 
be introduced for staff who joined before 1 January 2018. Staff who joined on or after 1 January 
2018 will be paid against the 2018 salary scale2. 
 
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2 Following the 2018 adjustment to the WT O salary scale, the difference between the highest frozen 
scale introduced in 2012 and the 2018 salary scale will be 5.86%. The estimated impact of the frozen salary 
scales on the salary mass is CHF 4. 25 million per annum.  WT/BFA/W/442  
 
- 3 - 
 
  APPENDIX 1: WTO SALA RY SCALE – METHOD OF ANNUAL ADJ USTMENT  
Pursuant to Staff Regulation  6.2, the WTO salary scale shall be adjusted according to the 
following method:   
 
The WTO salary scale shall be adjusted annually on 1 January through a comparison of WTO 
international salaries with the salary scales effective o n 1 January in a basket of comparators.   The 
comparators shall be the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) and the Coordinated 
Organisations [1] (CO).   The relative weighting of the comparators shall be 70% for the United 
Nations and 30% for the Coordinated Organisations.   
 
The salaries of the comparators shall be measured at the mid -point of each of t he grades 
that have been determined by the Director -General, and reported to the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration and the General Council, to be equivalent to grades 1 through 12, ADG 
and DDG in the WTO.     
 
The international salary scales o f the Coordinated Organisations shall be converted to a 
Geneva base using a 50/50 mix of Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) and one -year average of 
Nominal Exchange rates (NER).   For UNOG, the Swiss franc salary scales (P and GS) shall be 
used.   PPP/NER data used for the purposes of the comparison shall be the most recent data 
available.   
 
The grade -weighted average difference between the WTO salary scale and the comparator 
salary scales shall then be determined [2], and the WTO salary scale adjusted on average 
accordingly, provided that the resulting overall payroll increase shall not exceed the correspondi ng 
payroll -weighted average difference between the WTO salary scale and comparator salary 
scales.   In applying the adjustment, the Director -General shall take account of the need to 
maintain competitiveness of all grades with the salaries in the comparator s and shall report his 
decision to the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration.   
Data sources     
Comparator salary scales  Salary scales for UNOG (Swiss franc salaries for UN staff in Geneva) and the 
Coordinated Organisations effective 1 January for  the year in question.  
Purchasing Power Parities 
(PPP)  PPP provided by the Coordinated Organisations for the adjustment of salaries 
of international staff.  
Nominal Exchange Rate (NER)  One-year average of UN operational exchange rates  
  
 
[1] The Coordinated Organisations comprise the following international organizations:   North Atla ntic 
Treaty Organization (NATO), Council of Europe, Western European Union (WEU), European Space Agency 
(ESA), European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the OECD.   The scale used for the 
CO will be based on a weighted average of any ch ange to the CO salary scale as implemented by the 
constituent organizations of the CO.   
[2] The g rade-weighted average refers to the average difference in salaries weighted by the percentage 
of WTO staff in grades 1 to 12, ADG and DDG.  
 
  WT/BFA/W/442  
 
- 4 - APPENDIX 2: WTO SALA RY SCALE ADJUSTMENTS  1999 -2017 
Grade  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2003  
(Jan.)  2003  
(July)  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  
                                           
DDG 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  0.5%  8.4%  2.8%  3.5%  1.35%  0.40%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
ADG 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.2%  8.4%  2.8%  3.5%  1.35%  0.40%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
12 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.2%  8.4%  2.8%  3.5%  1.35%  1.75%  1.8%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
11 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  3.8%  7.4%  2.8%  3.5%  1.35%  1.75%  1.8%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
10 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  4.4%  2.8%  4.5%  1.35%  1.75%  1.8%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
9 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  3.4%  3.0%  4.5%  1.35%  1.75%  1.8%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
8 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  3.4%  3.0%  4.5%  1.35%  1.75%  1.8%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
7 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  3.4%  1.5%  1.8%  1.35%  1.20%  1.2%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
6 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  2.0%  0.6%  1.5%  0.50%  0.50%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
5 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  2.0%  0.6%  1.5%  0.50%  0.50%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
4 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  2.0%  0.6%  1.5%  0.50%  0.50%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
3 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  2.0%  0.6%  1.5%  0.50%  0.50%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
2 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  2.0%  0.6%  1.5%  0.50%  0.50%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
1 0% 0.6%  1.9%  1.6%  0.3%  3.0%  1.0%  2.0%  0.6%  1.5%  0.50%  0.50%  0.5%  0.0%  0.0%  -3.4%  -0.86%  0.0%  0.5%  -1.5%  0.47%  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 WT/BFA/W/442  
 
- 5 - 
 WT/BFA/W/442  
 
- 5 - APPENDIX 3: FROZEN S ALARY SCALES IN EFFECT  FOR STAFF WHJO JOINE D BEFORE 
2018, 2016, 2013 AND 2012 RESPECTIVELY  AND 201 8 PROVISIONAL SALARY S CALE  
Annual Salary Scale applicable to staff who joined before 1 January 2018  
 
Grade  Range   
Increment  Minimum  Maximum  
1 50,436  68,733  2,068  
2 54,966  74,926  2,199  
3 59,898  81,638  2,336  
4 65,341  89,056  2,483  
5 71,501  97,441  2,646  
6 78,303  106,723  2,819  
7 89,939  122,578  3,148  
8 112,969  150,747  3,389  
9 134,209  173,914  3,489  
10 159,721  193,926  3,674  
11 187,769  213,926  2,065  
12 204,792  222,943  2,253  
ADG 234,951  234,951  - 
DDG 
254,544  254,544  - 
 
Annual  Salary Scale  applicable to staff who joined before 1 January 2016   
 
Grade  Range   
Increment  Minimum  Maximum  
1 50,964  69,453  2,090  
2 55,542  75,711  2,222  
3 60,526  82,493  2,361  
4 66,025  89,989  2,509  
5 72,251  98,462  2,673  
6 79,124  107,842  2,848  
7 90,881  123,863  3,181  
8 114,153  152,327  3,425  
9 135,615  175,736  3,526  
10 161,395  195,958  3,712  
11 189,737  216,168  2,087  
12 206,938  225,279  2,276  
ADG  237,413  237,413  - 
DDG  257,211  257,211  - 
 
Annual Salary Scale applicable to staff wh o joined before 1 January 2013  
 
Grade  Range   
Increment  Minimum  Maximum  
1 51,150  69,706  2,097  
2 55,745  75,987  2,230  
3 60,747  82,795  2,369  
4 66,267  90,318  2,518  
5 72,516  98,822  2,705  
6 79,413  108,236  2,859  
7 91,213  124,316  3,192  
8 114,570  152,884  3,437  
9 136,111  176,379  3,539  
10 161,985  196,674  3,726  
11 190,431  216,959  2,095  
12 207,694  226,102  2,285  
ADG 238,281  238,281  - 
DDG 258,151  258,151  - 
 
  WT/BFA/W/442  
 
- 6 - 
 
  WT/BFA/W/442  
 
- 6 - Annual Salary Scale applicable to staff wh o joined before 1 January 2012  
 
Grade  Range   
Increment  Minimum  Maximum  
1 52,950  72,159  2,171  
2 57,707  78,661  2,308  
3 62,885  85,709  2,453  
4 68,599  93,497  2,607  
5 75,068  102,300  2,778  
6 82,208  112,046  2,959  
7 94,423  128,692  3,305  
8 118,602  158,265  3,558  
9 140,902  182,587  3,663  
10 167,686  203,596  3,857  
11 197,134  224,595  2,168  
12 215,004  234,060  2,365  
ADG 246,668  246,668  - 
DDG 267,237  267,237  - 
 
2018 Provisional Annual Salary Scale applicable to staff who joined on or  
after 1 January 201 8  
 
Grade  Range   
Increment  Minimum  Maximum  
1 49,848  58,890  2,044  
2 54,325  64,189  2,173  
3 59,200  69,943  2,309  
4 64,579  76,298  2,454  
5 70,667  83,486  2,615  
6 77,390  91,434  2,786  
7 88,890  105,020  3,111  
8 111,652  130,321  3,350  
9 132,644  152,265  3,449  
10 157,859  174,762  3,631  
11 185,580  198,506  2,041  
12 202,404  211,374  2,226  
ADG 232,211  232,211    
DDG 251,576  251,576    
 
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