Average Custodial Worker Salary in Ethiopia for 2026
A custodial worker in Ethiopia earns about 36,720 ETB a year. That's 66% below the national average of 106,600 ETB.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Ethiopia sit around 17,740 ETB a year, while the very top stretches to 61,400 ETB. Everything on this page is in Ethiopian birr (ETB, symbol Br), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Ethiopia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a custodial worker make in Ethiopia?
A typical custodial worker working in Ethiopia brings home around 3,060 ETB a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 17,740 ETB, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 61,400 ETB for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior custodial worker working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How custodial worker pay ranges in Ethiopia
A good way to think about salary in Ethiopia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all custodial workers in Ethiopia earn less than 40,240 ETB a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 25,160 ETB (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 50,340 ETB (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of custodial workers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 17,740 ETB. The highest stretch to 61,400 ETB, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Custodial worker pay by experience in Ethiopia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a custodial worker in Ethiopia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical custodial worker salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years22,420 ETB
- 2-5 Years+23% from previous27,480 ETB
- 5-10 Years+41% from previous38,700 ETB
- 10-15 Years+31% from previous50,580 ETB
- 15-20 Years+6% from previous53,860 ETB
- 20+ Years+1% from previous54,560 ETB
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a custodial worker typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Custodial worker pay by education in Ethiopia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving custodial worker pay in Ethiopia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average custodial worker salary in Ethiopia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School27,480 ETB
- Certificate or Diploma+46% from previous40,040 ETB
- Bachelor's Degree+41% from previous56,460 ETB
Custodial worker gender pay gap in Ethiopia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Ethiopia is no exception. Male custodial workers in Ethiopia earn an average of 35,000 ETB a year, while female custodial workers earn around 41,980 ETB. That works out to a 17% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Custodial Worker gender pay gap
17%
Men earn this much less than women on average in Ethiopia.
Pay raises for a custodial worker in Ethiopia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Ethiopia sees a raise of about 5% every 30 months, which works out to roughly 2% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Ethiopia, the national average raise is around 4% every 29 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Ethiopia:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Custodial worker bonus rates in Ethiopia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
12% of custodial workers in Ethiopia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a custodial worker a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 88% of custodial workers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Ethiopia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Custodial worker: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Ethiopia is about 15% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
13%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Ethiopia on average.
Custodial worker salary by city in Ethiopia
Custodial worker pay is not even across Ethiopia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Adis Abeba
- Gonder
- Mekele
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adis Abeba | City | 42,320 ETB | 42,320 ETB | 21,020-66,580 ETB |
| Gonder | City | 36,020 ETB | 34,280 ETB | 18,280-54,560 ETB |
| Mekele | City | 35,560 ETB | 37,620 ETB | 15,760-54,460 ETB |
Custodial Worker in Ethiopia: FAQs
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How much does a custodial worker make per month in Ethiopia?
A custodial worker in Ethiopia earns about 3,060 ETB a month before tax, based on an annual average of 36,720 ETB.
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What's the salary range for a custodial worker in Ethiopia?
Entry-level custodial workers in Ethiopia start near 17,740 ETB. Top-end pay reaches around 61,400 ETB. The middle 50% of earners sit between 25,160 and 50,340 ETB.
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Is the median custodial worker salary in Ethiopia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 40,240 ETB, higher than the average of 36,720 ETB. Half of custodial workers in Ethiopia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for custodial workers in Ethiopia?
Men working as a custodial worker in Ethiopia earn around 17% less than women on average (35,000 vs 41,980 ETB a year).
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Do custodial workers in Ethiopia get bonuses?
About 12% of custodial workers in Ethiopia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do custodial workers earn more in the public or private sector in Ethiopia?
In Ethiopia, the public sector pays a custodial worker about 15% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do custodial workers in Ethiopia get a pay raise?
A custodial worker in Ethiopia sees a raise of around 5% every 30 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.