Salaries in South Africa by type of job
What employees in South Africa earn in each of the International Labour Organization's broad job groups, from National Income Dynamic Survey (2020).
| Job group | Median a year, with likely range |
|---|---|
| Managers R 12,000 a month (published median) | R 144,000 R 81,800 to R 254,000 |
| Professionals R 17,000 a month (published median) | R 204,000 R 131,000 to R 318,000 |
| Technicians and associate professionals R 9,000 a month (published median) | R 108,000 R 64,600 to R 181,000 |
| Clerical support workers R 4,500 a month (published median) | R 54,000 R 30,900 to R 94,300 |
| Service and sales workers R 4,710 a month (published median) | R 56,500 R 34,500 to R 92,600 |
| Craft and related trades workers R 5,000 a month (published median) | R 60,000 R 33,600 to R 107,000 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers R 7,000 a month (published median) | R 84,000 R 47,400 to R 149,000 |
| Elementary occupations R 2,500 a month (published median) | R 30,000 R 17,000 to R 52,900 |
ILOSTAT publishes the median monthly pay of each group and a Gini index of how unevenly it is spread, not percentiles. The yearly median is the monthly figure times 12. The likely range (25th to 75th percentile) comes from a log-normal curve through the median and the Gini index. Figures are 2020 ZAR, rounded to three significant figures.
Which jobs are in each group
ILOSTAT reports pay by group (ISCO-08), not by single job, so every job in a group shares its figure. The jobs from the app in each group:
- Managers: project manager, marketing manager, general / operations manager.
- Professionals: software developer, web developer, data scientist, network / systems administrator, registered nurse, family doctor / GP, pharmacist, dentist, physical therapist / physiotherapist, psychologist, social worker, veterinarian, elementary school teacher, high school teacher, accountant / auditor, financial analyst, actuary, HR specialist, management consultant / analyst, lawyer, mechanical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, architect, graphic designer.
- Technicians and associate professionals: IT support specialist, dental hygienist, paramedic, sales representative (B2B), paralegal, airline pilot, chef / head cook, real estate agent.
- Clerical support workers: bookkeeper, customer service representative, administrative assistant.
- Service and sales workers: nursing assistant, retail salesperson, cashier, police officer, firefighter, cook, hairdresser / stylist, childcare worker.
- Craft and related trades workers: electrician, plumber, carpenter, welder, auto mechanic.
- Plant and machine operators and assemblers: truck driver (heavy).
- Elementary occupations: construction labourer, warehouse worker.
Pay by age
| Age | Median a month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| 15 to 24 | R 3,500 | R 42,000 |
| 25 to 34 | R 4,500 | R 54,000 |
| 35 to 44 | R 4,500 | R 54,000 |
| 45 to 54 | R 4,000 | R 48,000 |
| 55 to 64 | R 4,240 | R 50,900 |
All employees. ILOSTAT EAR_EMTM_SEX_AGE_NB, 2020.
Pay by education
How much more employees earn at the median than those whose highest level is upper secondary school.
| Highest education | Pay difference |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's or equivalent | +28% |
ILOSTAT EAR_EMTM_SEX_EDU_NB, 2017. Levels follow ISCED 2011.
Coming soon to South Africa. Salary Predictor for iPhone is on the App Store in the United States, Canada and the UK today. The version with South Africa is on its way.
Sources
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and occupation (EAR_EMTM_SEX_OCU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Latest year per country, 2015-2025.
- Gini index of monthly earnings of employees by sex and occupation (EAR_EMTG_SEX_OCU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Same survey and year as the pay figure.
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and age (EAR_EMTM_SEX_AGE_NB), with Gini index by age (EAR_EMTG_SEX_AGE_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Same survey and year as the pay figure.
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and education (EAR_EMTM_SEX_EDU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Closest year to the pay figure.
- International Standard Classification of Occupations, ISCO-08. International Labour Organization, 2012.
South Africa: National Income Dynamic Survey, 2020. EAR_EMTM_SEX_OCU_NB, ZAR.
Contains data from ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Figures were changed: monthly pay x12, and ranges and medians derived through a log-normal curve.