Average Factory Worker Salary in Somalia for 2026
A factory worker in Somalia earns about 925,900 SOS a year. That's 70% below the national average of 3,108,200 SOS.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Somalia sit around 425,100 SOS a year, while the very top stretches to 1,476,700 SOS. Everything on this page is in Somali shilling (SOS, symbol Sh), 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 Somalia, 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 factory worker make in Somalia?
A typical factory worker working in Somalia brings home around 77,158 SOS a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 425,100 SOS, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,476,700 SOS 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 factory 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 factory worker pay ranges in Somalia
A good way to think about salary in Somalia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all factory workers in Somalia earn less than 998,400 SOS 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 643,400 SOS (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 1,333,900 SOS (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of factory workers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 425,100 SOS. The highest stretch to 1,476,700 SOS, 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.
Factory worker pay by experience in Somalia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a factory worker in Somalia, 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 factory worker salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years483,800 SOS
- 2-5 Years+33% from previous645,800 SOS
- 5-10 Years+48% from previous954,900 SOS
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous1,160,900 SOS
- 15-20 Years+10% from previous1,273,300 SOS
- 20+ Years+8% from previous1,369,700 SOS
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 48%. That is the point at which a factory 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.
Factory worker pay by education in Somalia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving factory worker pay in Somalia. 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 factory worker salary in Somalia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School562,200 SOS
- Certificate or Diploma+93% from previous1,085,600 SOS
Factory worker gender pay gap in Somalia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Somalia is no exception. Male factory workers in Somalia earn an average of 1,021,800 SOS a year, while female factory workers earn around 832,100 SOS. That works out to a 23% gap in favour of men, 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.
Factory Worker gender pay gap
19%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Somalia.
Pay raises for a factory worker in Somalia
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 Somalia sees a raise of about 5% every 29 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 Somalia, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Somalia:
- Banking2%
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel1%
- 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
Factory worker bonus rates in Somalia
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.
15% of factory workers in Somalia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a factory 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 85% of factory workers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Somalia
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
Factory worker: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Somalia is about 18% 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
15%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Somalia on average.
Factory Worker in Somalia: FAQs
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How much does a factory worker make per month in Somalia?
A factory worker in Somalia earns about 77,158 SOS a month before tax, based on an annual average of 925,900 SOS.
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What's the salary range for a factory worker in Somalia?
Entry-level factory workers in Somalia start near 425,100 SOS. Top-end pay reaches around 1,476,700 SOS. The middle 50% of earners sit between 643,400 and 1,333,900 SOS.
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Is the median factory worker salary in Somalia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 998,400 SOS, higher than the average of 925,900 SOS. Half of factory workers in Somalia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for factory workers in Somalia?
Men working as a factory worker in Somalia earn around 23% more than women on average (1,021,800 vs 832,100 SOS a year).
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Do factory workers in Somalia get bonuses?
About 15% of factory workers in Somalia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do factory workers earn more in the public or private sector in Somalia?
In Somalia, the public sector pays a factory worker about 18% 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 factory workers in Somalia get a pay raise?
A factory worker in Somalia sees a raise of around 5% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.