These jobs are in high demand in South Africa – here’s how much they pay

Specialist professional recruitment firm Robert Walters has published its annual salary survey for 2022, detailing how much money professionals in accounting fields can expect to earn in South Africa over the coming year.
Hiring in this sector picked up rapidly in 2021 and was only slowed down by the July riots seen in KZN and parts of Gauteng, said William Young, commerce and industry manager at Robert Walters.
He said that there is strong demand for mid-senior finance rolls across all industries including retail, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and manufacturing.
“The transition from face-to-face meetings to online platforms has made interviews more accessible and less time-consuming allowing a smoother more streamlined hiring process. Whilst there has been an increase in roles – this has not necessarily been through natural job creation but rather high levels of turnover.”
“Clients across the hiring market are looking to bring in experienced professionals who can hit the ground running to negate the difficulties of training remotely.”
Young said prospective hires are also expected to be flexible in working from home and potentially working on a contract basis.
Finance jobs in South Africa
The most in-demand jobs in South Africa’s accounting and finance sector include finance managers, tax accountants and treasury accountants.
The data shows that finance professionals are also proving to be highly mobile, with 17% surveyed being open to new job offers – mainly looking for a pay rise or career progression. The average tenure for legal professionals in South Africa sits at just over two years.
Job title | 0-2 years | 4-7 years | 10+ years |
---|---|---|---|
Part Qualified CA (SA) | R300,000 – R400,000 | R550,000 – R800,000 | R1 million – R1.5 million |
Part Qualified CIMA | R180,000 – R250,000 | R350,000 – R450,000 | R600,000 – R800,00 |
BCom | R350,000 – R450,000 | R550,000 – R750,000 | R950,000 – R1.35 million |
CA (SA) | R550,000 – R750,000 | R800,000 – R1.2 million | R1.6 million – R2.2 million |
Tax Accountant | R350,000 – R450,000 | R600,000 – R750,000 | R800,000 – R1 million |
Finance manager | R600,000 – R750,000 | R850,000 – R1,1 million | R1.3 million – R1.6 million |
Internal Auditor | R300,000 – R380,000 | R450,000 – R650,000 | R1 million – R1.2 milion |
CFO/FD (SME) | – | R1.2 million – R1.5 million | R1.8 million – R2.4 million |
Finance Director (Large Firm) | – | R1.4 million – R1.7 million | R2 million – R2.8 million |
Internal Audit Manager | – | R850,000 – R1 million | R1.3 million – R1.7 million |
Group Tax Manager | – | R1 million – R1.5 million | R1.7 million – R2.2 million |
Group Treasury Manager | – | R1.25 million – R1.5 million | R1.8 million – R2.5 million |
Treasury Accountant | R650,000 – R750,000 | R900,000 – R1.2 million | – |
CFO (JSE Top 200) | – | – | R2.8 million – R4 million |
Read: How much money you need to be in the richest 1% in South Africa – and how you compare to others