Business

43 jobs paying more money than the average salary of R30,000 in South Africa

Jonathan Hoyle

 ·4 Aug 2026

Stats SA’s quarterly employment survey for the first three months of 2026 showed that the national average salary is R29,997 per month, and noted 43 jobs with average earnings higher than this.

The survey examines employment and salary data across South Africa’s formal sector, broken down into eight sectors.

The average salary has increased slightly since the last quarter of 2025, rising by approximately 0.9% from R29,738 per month.

This came as the total number of South Africans employed in the formal sector dropped by roughly 0.8% from the last quarter.

The drop was particularly influenced by a 40,000-person decline in the trade sector, a 53,000-person decline in community services, and a 3,000-person decline in the transport industry.

The country’s manufacturing, business services, mining, and construction industries saw employment growth.

Full-time employment dropped from 9.43 million in December 2025 to 9.1 million in March 2026, led by contraction in the trade and community services industries.

Some sectors saw growth in full-time employment, such as business services and mining, which saw increases of roughly 8,000 and 2,000, respectively.

Part-time employment also declined by roughly 50,000 people from the last quarter of 2025, and 73,000 year-on-year.

Only two industries saw increases in part-time employment, with the manufacturing sector growing by 8,000 and construction by approximately 2,000.

The gross salaries paid to employees in South Africa declined notably, from approximately R1.08 trillion in December 2025 to R1.04 trillion in March 2026.

Year-on-year salaries, however, increased by 5.2% between March 2025 and March 2026, representing an increase of approximately R51 billion.

The quarterly decrease in gross salaries paid was felt across several sectors, but the mining industry reported a slight increase.

Highest paying jobs in South Africa

In addition to eight major industries, the QES examines employment statistics across approximately 20 subsections.

These are mainly composed of several sections of the manufacturing industry, as well as a split between government and non-government community services.

The survey then goes further, examining employment numbers and estimated earnings for 91 jobs across the eight listed sectors.

The QES notes 43 jobs from this list that pay higher estimated salaries than the national average of R29,997.

The highest salary in the survey was from auxiliary services to financial intermediation, which pays approximately R90,560 per month.

The lowest-paying job was manufacturing knitted and crocheted fabrics and articles, with a monthly salary of roughly R11,664.

Many of the highest salaries are found in the financial intermediation industry, with utility services and community services also featuring heavily at the top of the list.

The transport industry had some jobs in the top ten, notably those involved in air, sea, and coastal transport services.

Other high-paying jobs include those related to computer technology, insurance and pension funding, and petroleum-related manufacturing.

The bottom list was largely comprised of manufacturing jobs, including textile production jobs and basic food preservation and preparation positions.

The following describes each industry segment:

• Mining includes mining and quarrying
  
• Manufacturing includes food and beverages, furniture, textiles, wood, printing and publishing, petroleum and chemicals, non-metals and mineral products, electrical, medical and technology-related apparatus, and transport equipment
  
• Electricity & Water includes electricity, gas and water supply
  
• Trade includes wholesale, retail, motor, hotel and restaurants
  
• Transport includes freight, storage and postal communication
  
• Business services include financial intermediation, banking, insurance and real estate
  
• Government includes social and personal services run by and related to the state
  
• NGO includes social and personal services run by and related to non-government organisations and entities.

The following table shows the 43 jobs which currently have higher estimated salaries than the national average: