MTN Nigeria, the nation’s largest telecom operator, can be one of the crucial beneficiant employers within the business. Of its 1,809 workers, 1,514 earn at the least ₦1 million month-to-month, a wage benchmark that opponents like Globacom and 9mobile wrestle to match. Even the lowest-paid worker takes dwelling a mean of ₦458,333 monthly, fifteen occasions Nigeria’s minimal wage, making MTN a extremely aggressive employer throughout industries.
In contrast to most telcos, which peg wage will increase to firm efficiency or particular person achievements, MTN conducts an annual wage evaluation no matter naira fluctuations. This coverage, distinctive amongst cellular community operators, noticed the corporate’s complete wage invoice surge by 59.5% in 2024, rising from ₦42.7 billion to ₦71.7 billion.
The telecom business spans a number of segments: cellular community operators, tower corporations, web service suppliers, and knowledge facilities. Because it quickly expands with developments in fiber-optic infrastructure, 5G networks, and cloud providers, the demand for expert professionals—engineers, community architects, software program builders, cybersecurity specialists, and gross sales and advertising specialists—continues to develop.
This demand, nonetheless, has created a pointy divide in pay buildings throughout the sector. Airtel Nigeria, ties pay raises to efficiency targets, mentioned two workers who requested to not be named. At Globacom, wage increments are discretionary and negotiating a excessive beginning wage is vital, as raises are discretion of its Chairman Mike Adenuga, one Globacom government who spoke anonymously mentioned. Customer support workers at Globacom earn as little as ₦147,000 monthly, a stark distinction to MTN’s pay scale.
MTN’s strategy to wage will increase is each a retention technique and a long-term funding in expertise. The corporate’s annual wage changes are sometimes authorised at its Annual Basic Assembly (AGM) in Could and carried out in April, making certain that salaries hold tempo with each inflation and worker efficiency.
For Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, the problem isn’t simply matching MTN’s pay—it’s justifying increased wages amid profitability considerations and market share battles. That is significantly troublesome in a sector the place workers continuously upskill, transition to new roles, or transfer to adjoining industries.
“The implication is that MTN Nigeria will preserve its market management by retaining prime expertise, working with the most effective contractors, and managing money circulate extra successfully than opponents,” mentioned Ladi Okuneye, a telecom business government.
For now, MTN Nigeria’s wage coverage isn’t only a perk—it’s an influence transfer, retaining the most effective expertise in-house whereas making it more durable for rivals to compete. Whether or not this mannequin stays viable in the long term, nonetheless, shall be a take a look at of MTN’s monetary muscle.
Editor’s Observe: Our earlier report said the whole variety of workers on the MTN Group stage, which is 1,912. We now have now corrected it to mirror the whole variety of workers at MTN Nigeria, which is 1,809.
