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 been stable over the past 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 3.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at United Nations?

Intern (400) , Consultant (142) , Internship (130) , Administrative Assistant (59) , Project Manager (46) , Research Assistant (30) , Political Affairs Officer (24) , Officer (23) , Political Affairs Intern (19) , Security Officer (18) , Team Assistant (18) , Analyst (16) , Director (16) , Economic Affairs Officer (16) , Finance Assistant (15)

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

"stable happy versatile good benefit" ((in 182 reviews)); "The people are great and passionate about what they do" ((in 162 reviews)); "a good salary and traveling by plane" ((in 155 reviews)); "Great for CV and great colleagues" ((in 129 reviews)); "Good work environment for beginners" ((in 79 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 107 reviews)); "Management is poor" ((in 49 reviews)); "No job security at all" ((in 27 reviews)); "It is hard to have toxic managers held accountable due to the nature of the org" ((in 24 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))

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.

United Nations reviews

4.0

77% would recommend to a friend

(2,244 total reviews)

António Guterres

75% approve of CEO

57% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

United Nations has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 2,244 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).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Mar 27, 2015

Working for the UN - Not always the dream job expected

Political affairs officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- international working environment - excellent benefits - working on core international issues

Cons

- hierarchical - very competitive so difficult to move quickly in your career - too many precarious contracts - lack of good senior management

3.0

Mar 10, 2015

Mixed experience, depending substantially on location.

Director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Involvement in important and exciting issues affecting governments people all around the world. Opportunities to make a difference in the lives of some disadvantaged and vulnerable people. High salaries and allowances. Postings away from Headquarters -- in developing countries -- usually more satisfying.

Cons

Stultifying bureaucracy. Management quality variable with sometimes extremely poor ethical standards. Headquarters ( New York ) more bureaucratic and frustrating. Financial constraints on program activities. Member states too often accept or engineer shabby compromises because they serves their political ends.

4.0

Jan 5, 2015

Administrative Officer

Administrative officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible Schedule, Small Office, Great location in DC, great pay.

Cons

You have to file taxes as self employed but they don't pay your self employment taxes. Then they pay into pension fund put don;t pay into unemployment. So if you contract ends & you don't have another job you have to live off the pension money which you get taxed on because you will no money to file unemployment. Not easy to grow if you are a General Service employee.

Viewing 124 - 126 of 2,244 Reviews

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United Nations

United Nations reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Working for the UN - Not always the dream job expected

Mixed experience, depending substantially on location.

Administrative Officer

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Jobs at United Nations