Salaries in South Africa in 2026 – what people earn
Online recruitment firm Pnet has published its 2026 Job Market Trends Report, which includes salary guides and ranges for various jobs in South Africa.
The group’s analysis covers salary ranges for more than 100 jobs across 11 sectors in the country, reflecting the offers for those positions.
Pnet said the data is based on actual salary offerings from thousands of vacancies posted across the company’s online recruitment platforms, and represents national averages for each job role.
“The analysis provides a legitimate salary guideline for recruiters and employers and gives professionals insights into fair, market-related salaries for their roles,” it said.
While the salary data provides a broad, national picture, the group noted that remuneration may vary by region, level of experience and specific skill sets.
Despite the caveat, the insights offer an indicator of market-related salary expectations in 2026, it said.
The data shows that executive managers and directors have the highest earning power, with cost-to-company salaries ranging from R83,000 to R125,000 per month.
Finance, engineering and technology roles are also well compensated. The Pnet platform has a database of over 8 million registered users.
The group noted that job advertising during December remained higher than in previous years, with activity increasing 6% year-on-year.
Vacancy advertising increased by +3% compared to December 2024, and also increased by +4% month-on-month (November to December 2025).
Candidate database searches by recruiters also remained significantly higher than a year ago (+12% year-on-year), indicating a strong year-end trend in the job market, heading into 2026.
Pnet flagged significant increases in hiring activity in the medical and health sector, where there has been higher demand for nurses and pharmacists in particular.
Sales jobs, particularly for retail staff, also surged, likely due to seasonal shifts. However, hiring was still up significantly from the year prior.
More muted but still increasing is hiring demand in finance, with payroll and wage, accounting, and procurement positions open.
These are salary ranges for jobs across all sectors covered by Pnet’s report.
Salary ranges for 2026
Business & Managment
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Manager / Director | R83,333 | R125,000 |
| Senior Manager | R37,000 | R56,160 |
| Middle / Department Manager | R30,000 | R48,016 |
| Team Leader & Supervisor | R20,000 | R36,336 |
| Office Manager | R20,000 | R26,350 |
| Financial Manager | R48,237 | R70,260 |
| Production Manager | R40,000 | R45,000 |
| Sales Manager | R30,000 | R43,816 |
| Marketing Manager | R35,000 | R68,163 |
| Maintenance Manager | R33,333 | R36,250 |
| Logistics Manager | R28,500 | R40,529 |
| IT Manager | R39,981 | R61,097 |
| Business Development Manager | R30,000 | R46,808 |
| Business Development Consultant | R26,000 | R40,000 |
| Infrastructure / Operations Consultant | R26,250 | R35,000 |
| Employee Training / Development Facilitator | R30,000 | R40,000 |
| Recruiter | R15,000 | R20,000 |
Finance
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Financial / Project Accountant | R30,000 | R40,000 |
| Cost & Management Accountant | R36,250 | R47,000 |
| Internal Auditor | R28,583 | R40,833 |
| Taxation Specialist | R25,000 | R35,000 |
| Bookkeeper | R20,000 | R25,000 |
| Payroll & Wages Officer | R25,000 | R30,000 |
| Accounts Payable / Receivable Officer | R17,000 | R20,000 |
| Creditors Clerk | R17,600 | R23,114 |
| Credit Manager | R25,000 | R35,000 |
| Risk Manager | R36,500 | R45,224 |
| Financial Analyst | R41,667 | R50,000 |
| Investment Manager | R43,987 | R55,000 |
| Financial Advisor | R13,164 | R22,082 |
| External Auditor | R25,000 | R35,000 |
| Portfolio Manager | R30,000 | R40,000 |
| Financial Services Consultant | R10,000 | R13,000 |
| Risk Assessment Analyst | R27,332 | R30,000 |
| Claims Assessor | R21,578 | R25,000 |
| Purchasing & Procurement Officer | R18,000 | R23,000 |
| Financial Manager | R48,237 | R70,260 |
Admin, Office & Support
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Admin Clerk | R14,000 | R16,667 |
| Personal Assistant | R20,000 | R30,000 |
| Secretary | R20,000 | R25,000 |
| Switchboard / Reception | R10,000 | R13,000 |
| Client / Customer Support Agent | R17,000 | R21,000 |
| Call Centre Operator | R10,000 | R13,000 |
| HR Consultant | R25,000 | R30,000 |
| Health, Safety & Environment Officer | R25,000 | R26,500 |
| Office Manager | R20,000 | R26,350 |
Information Technology
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Solutions Architect | R41,667 | R52,500 |
| Business Analyst | R34,000 | R46,250 |
| Systems Analyst | R41,667 | R50,000 |
| Database Administrator | R33,333 | R50,000 |
| Data Engineer | R27,500 | R40,000 |
| Data Analyst | R30,000 | R35,000 |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | R30,000 | R38,958 |
| Data Scientist | R36,667 | R50,000 |
| Systems / Network Administrator | R20,000 | R30,000 |
| IT Support Technician | R20,000 | R30,000 |
| Full Stack Developer | R30,000 | R45,000 |
| .Net Developer | R40,000 | R50,000 |
| C# Developer | R40,000 | R50,000 |
| Java Developer | R36,250 | R50,000 |
| Front End Developer | R40,000 | R50,000 |
| PHP Developer | R22,000 | R37,500 |
| Scrum Master | R36,667 | R44,167 |
| Test Analyst | R28,000 | R40,000 |
| IT Project Manager | R31,000 | R50,000 |
| IT Manager | R39,981 | R61,097 |
Building and Construction
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity Surveyor | R40,000 | R54,583 |
| Consulting Engineer | R40,000 | R70,417 |
| Structural Engineer | R47,500 | R66,667 |
| Civil Engineer | R50,000 | R65,833 |
| Concrete Foreman | R22,021 | R34,238 |
| Building Project Manager | R40,000 | R50,000 |
| Construction Manager | R40,000 | R52,500 |
| Electrician | R25,000 | R30,000 |
Manufacturing & Assembly
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Boilermaker | R17 500 | R30,000 |
| Millwright | R30 000 | R40,000 |
| Machinist | R10 000 | R13,000 |
| Tool / Die Maker | R30 000 | R40,000 |
| Production Controller | R15 000 | R20,000 |
| Quality Control Technician | R21 417 | R30,000 |
| Supply Chain Control Officer | R30 000 | R42,000 |
| Production Manager | R40 000 | R45,000 |
| Plant Manager | R45 000 | R77,500 |
Architecture & Engineering
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural Draughtsman | R20,000 | R25,000 |
| Structural Engineer | R47,500 | R66,667 |
| Civil Engineer | R50,000 | R65,833 |
| Electrical Engineer | R45,000 | R65,000 |
| Industrial Engineer | R40,000 | R50,000 |
| Mechanical Engineer | R40,708 | R54,167 |
Sales
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Administrator | R15,000 | R20,000 |
| Sales Coordinator | R18,000 | R23,500 |
| Representative / Sales Consultant | R18,000 | R25,000 |
| Account Manager | R26,000 | R40,000 |
| Telesales / Telemarketing Agent | R11,000 | R15,000 |
| Retail Associate | R15,000 | R18,000 |
| Sales Manager | R30,000 | R43,618 |
Marketing
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Manager | R30,000 | R44,999 |
| Product Manager | R35,000 | R45,000 |
| Communications & Public Relations Officer | R31,667 | R35,000 |
| Social Media Content Creator | R18,000 | R25,000 |
| Events Coordinator | R15,000 | R21,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | R27,500 | R36,500 |
| Marketing Coordinator | R19,583 | R25,000 |
| Marketing Manager | R35,000 | R68,163 |
Design & Publishing
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Product Designer | R20,000 | R35,000 |
| Graphic Designer | R15,000 | R26,000 |
| Web Designer | R20,000 | R37,500 |
| Copywriter | R20,000 | R30,000 |
Warehousing & Logistics
| Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Dispatch / Receiving Clerk | R15,000 | R18,000 |
| Warehouse Operator | R20,000 | R25,000 |
| Warehouse Supervisor | R20,000 | R24,000 |
| Fleet Controller | R17,750 | R21,000 |
| Logistics Coordinator | R15,000 | R24,633 |
| Logistics Manager | R28,500 | R40,529 |
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