A centre of expertise inside MSF

Impartial labour market intelligence

Reliable information on the labour market and the cost of living is rarely available in the countries where MSF employs people. Setting salaries that are competitive but not disruptive is therefore a real difficulty for decision-makers. The Benchmarking Unit exists to remove that difficulty.

Providing HR professionals with the information and data to recruit and retain the right people, in order to fulfil MSF’s mission.

Who we are

We are a specialised Centre of Expertise supporting operations and HR in all independent sections of MSF, by providing impartial labour market intelligence, economic scanning and salary benchmarks.

We work as an internal service provider, both by mandate and on request — and as an open survey partner to other employers in the same markets.

How the cycle runs

Specially trained analysts collect data and bring together information on salaries and living wages according to a tested methodology. For more than 70 countries with MSF programmes, comprehensive surveys are conducted every two years.

For headquarters and regional sections, we work on request.

All our studies comply with strict confidentiality procedures. We share the anonymised results free of charge with every participating employer.

The method

Local and desk research, in that order

MSF benchmark studies combine local and desk research. Data alone is not enough: to put it in context and ensure correct interpretation we also talk to people, visit markets and observe household practices, and so come to understand the labour market and socioeconomic context of each study.

  1. 01

    Prepare

    The comparator panel is assembled: which employers in this market are genuinely comparable, and who will take part.

  2. 02

    Collect

    Interviews with participating employers on salaries, allowances, benefits and total compensation, position by position.

  3. 03

    Observe

    Market visits and household practice: what things actually cost, and what a household in this location needs to live on.

  4. 04

    Analyse and report

    Competitiveness and adequacy by market segment, written up with the economic indicators that frame them — and sent to every participant.

A remuneration analyst interviewing an employer's HR team around a meeting table
An interview with an employer in the comparator panel. Each study is built from conversations like this one, position by position.

What a study contains

Competitiveness, adequacy, and the context around both

Salary and benefits

Basic salaries, allowances, benefits and total compensation, analysed by local labour market segment so like is compared with like.

Living wage

An estimate of minimum household expenditure in several locations of each country, so decision makers can guarantee that what they pay is liveable.

Economic indicators

Cost of living and market trends, interpreted in their local context, so that salary decisions can be justified and reviewed over time.

Take part in a survey

Employers who join a survey shape the comparator panel for their own market, and receive the finished study free of charge.