40 jobs that pay more than the average salary in South Africa

Stats SA’s latest quarterly employment survey (QES) shows that 40 jobs earn above the average gross salary in South Africa.

According to Stats SA, the average monthly earnings in the formal non-agricultural sector increased by 1.6% quarter-on-quarter from 26,471 in August 2023 to R26,894 in November.

Year-to-year, the average monthly earnings paid to employees in the formal non-agricultural sector jumped by 2.3% from R26,298 in November 2022.

The average basic salary/wages paid to employees increased by 0.9% from R849.5 billion in September 2023 to R857.4 billion in December 2023.

On the other hand, total gross earnings saw a quarter-on-quarter jump of 5.8% from R941.3 billion to R995.6 billion over the same period.

Notably, when using the over 10.7 million employees in the non-formal agricultural sector, the average gross salary in South Africa comes out to R31,013.21.

Thus, when breaking down Stats SA’s publically available data, 40 of the roughly 90 jobs in South Africa earn more than the average gross salary.

Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation in the financial services sector have the highest average gross pay in South Africa at R69,466.16.

This is followed by those working in electricity, gas, steam and water supply (R66,009.77) and computer and related activities (R57,763.06).

The 40 jobs in South Africa that spend more than the average gross salary can be found below:

Sector breakdown

Looking at a sectoral overview, the electricity, gas and water supply sectors had the highest average salary at R59,641.83 per month.

This was followed by financial services (R37,147.35) and community, personal and social services (R35,192.25)

The lowest-paid jobs are in the wholesale, retail and motor trades, hotels and restaurants sectors (R20,033.66).

The table below outlines the 20 highest-paying job sectors in South Africa, based on the most recent earnings data as reported by Stats SA. The full list is embedded below or can be downloaded here. Additional information on the sectors is as follows:

• 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.
• Transport storage and communication include freight and postal services.
• Financial services include financial intermediation, banking, insurance and real estate.
• Community, social and personal services are split between government and non-government entities.

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