Does United Nations pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, United Nations employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at United Nations. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at United Nations?

77% of United Nations employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated United Nations 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at United Nations?

Intern (398) , Consultant (142) , Internship (130) , Administrative Assistant (59) , Project Manager (46) , Research Assistant (30) , Officer (23) , Political Affairs Officer (23) , Political Affairs Intern (19) , Security Officer (18) , Team Assistant (18) , Director (16) , Economic Affairs Officer (16) , Analyst (15) , Finance Assistant (15)

What are the pros of working at United Nations according to real employee reviews?

"stable happy versatile good benefit" ((in 173 reviews)); "The people are great and passionate about what they do" ((in 164 reviews)); "a good salary and traveling by plane" ((in 152 reviews)); "Great for CV and great colleagues" ((in 135 reviews)); "Good work environment for beginners" ((in 82 reviews))

What are the cons of working at United Nations according to real employee reviews?

"The internship is unpaid and probably with rooms of improvement regarding the plan for career guidance" ((in 114 reviews)); "Management is poor" ((in 49 reviews)); "bad managers" ((in 25 reviews)); "Too much bureaucracy and almost impossible to get promoted.It is hard to do things differently due to the bureaucratic nature of the organization." ((in 23 reviews)); "Long hours and a lot of paper work" ((in 20 reviews))

What are employees saying about United Nations layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about United Nations layoffs and their outlook for job security at United Nations in 2026.

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United Nations

United Nations reviews

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4.0

77% would recommend to a friend

(2,241 total reviews)

António Guterres

74% approve of CEO

57% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Culture & values

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.9

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Senior management

3.5

Career opportunities

United Nations has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 2,241 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The United Nations employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Regierung & öffentliche Verwaltung industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Apr 28, 2025

Experience working in UN as Intern

Data research intern

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Completed a six-month internship at the UN Secretariat in New York HQ. Mentors and colleagues were exceptionally supportive. Workload was manageable, varying by department. Most valuable aspect was gaining extensive exposure to international organizations and multilateral diplomacy processes. Excellent opportunity for those interested in global affairs careers.

Cons

All Secretariat internships are unpaid, and interns must purchase their own medical insurance. There are very limited opportunities for conversion to permanent positions, so this may not be suitable for those urgently seeking full-time employment.

3.0

Apr 19, 2025

salary is alright

Political affairs officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

relaxed work, high level engagement

Cons

can get mundane at times.

5.0

Apr 10, 2025

Valuable experience in a demanding security role

Field security associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great opportunity to collaborate with UN agencies. Meaningful work contributing to staff safety. Access to training and development programs. Dynamic working environment and strong team culture.

Cons

Limited upward mobility without higher education. Requires constant availability, including off-hours. Administrative tasks can overshadow field work. Budget constraints limit resource availability.

Viewing 88 - 90 of 2,241 Reviews

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Jobs at United Nations

Human Resources Assistant (temporary), G6

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Human Resources Assistant - temporary, G6

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Consultant (Legislative and Policy Research)

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International Anticorruption Consultant

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INTERN – Data, Analytics and Statistics Section

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