How your salary should change based on your experience in South Africa
CareerJunction has released its latest salary review for South Africa, listing the salary ranges for 10 sectors across the country, as well as regional differences.
The review is compiled exclusively for the South African workforce and HR/recruitment professionals, and is based on over 30,000 job listings on the CareerJunction website.
The salaries listed below are divided by sector, and include the average regional differences in pay, as well as the average starting salaries of skilled employees in various industries, along with the average top-end salaries of senior employees.
This allows us to compare the low-end of the salary spectrum to the top-paying band across various positions in South Africa.
The tables below detail the percentage salary increase a skilled employee can expect when moving from an opening salary as a skilled worker to a top salary as a senior professional.
For more coverage of 2017 salary data, you can check out these links:
- South African salaries in 2017: what people earn
- Biggest salary increases in South Africa: 2016 vs 2017
- Salaries in South Africa: the gap between Joburg vs Cape Town vs Durban
Here is how salaries jump based on level of experience:
Architecture and Engineering
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental engineering | R29 375 | R64 944 | 121.1% |
| Civil Engineering | R34 463 | R70 301 | 104.0% |
| Electronic Engineering | R26 233 | R52 879 | 101.6% |
| Architecture | R26 312 | R49 571 | 88.4% |
| Electrical Engineering | R32 445 | R60 864 | 87.6% |
| Engineering Drafting | R16 905 | R30 844 | 82.5% |
| Industrial Engineering | R38 557 | R55 842 | 44.8% |
| Mechanical Engineering | R36 576 | R51 214 | 40.0% |
Building and Construction
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering | R29 611 | R63 698 | 115.1% |
| Structural engineering | R35 660 | R70 876 | 98.8% |
| Quantity surveying | R24 770 | R45 522 | 83.8% |
| Electricians | R18 168 | R32 816 | 80.6% |
| Concrete works | R26 549 | R45 139 | 70.0% |
| Building Foreman | R21 133 | R35 846 | 69.6% |
| Building and project management | R29 504 | R48 965 | 66.0% |
| Consulting engineering | R36 658 | R53 369 | 45.6% |
Warehousing and Logistics
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dispatch and receiving | R7 983 | R21 667 | 171.4% |
| Warehouse operations | R13 478 | R22 458 | 66.6% |
| Logistics management | R32 561 | R44 278 | 36.0% |
Information Technology and Communication
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network planning, design and installation | R20 788 | R36 627 | 76.2% |
| Database design, development and admin | R29 012 | R50 616 | 74.5% |
| UX and HUI design | R25 972 | R43 812 | 68.7% |
| Systems and network admin | R25 710 | R42 533 | 65.4% |
| Software development | R32 539 | R52 825 | 62.3% |
| Data analysis and warehousing | R31 174 | R46 656 | 49.7% |
| Systems analysis | R34 204 | R50 351 | 47.2% |
| Business analysis | R37 392 | R51 270 | 37.1% |
| Technical and business architecture | R49 429 | R66 558 | 34.7% |
| IT Management | R48 253 | R58 337 | 20.9% |
Finance
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chartered accounting | R37 308 | R65 840 | 76.5% |
| Asset management | R24 340 | R42 941 | 76.4% |
| Actuary | R30 724 | R51 773 | 68.5% |
| Investment banking | R24 875 | R41 123 | 65.3% |
| Purchasing and procurement | R23 334 | R37 121 | 59.1% |
| Treasury management | R30 321 | R43 222 | 42.5% |
| Payroll and wages | R15 949 | R22 526 | 41.2% |
| Bookkeeping | R15 410 | R21 620 | 40.3% |
| Internal auditing | R31 370 | R43 907 | 40.0% |
| Risk management | R35 275 | R47 639 | 35.1% |
| Accounts payable and receivable | R17 576 | R22 721 | 29.3% |
| Taxation | R32 662 | R42 143 | 29.0% |
| Management accounting | R34 962 | R43 542 | 24.5% |
| Financial management | R53 708 | R65 322 | 21.6% |
Marketing
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communications and public relations | R16 929 | R39 125 | 131.1% |
| Advertising | R14 210 | R29 524 | 107.8% |
| Market research and analysis | R22 145 | R37 846 | 70.9% |
| Product management | R25 298 | R40 944 | 61.8% |
| Brand management | R27 525 | R36 104 | 31.2% |
Medical
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Practitioner | R32 500 | R60 998 | 87.7% |
| Pharmacist | R28 424 | R49 792 | 75.2% |
| Nursing/Professional Care giving | R17 922 | R24 733 | 38.0% |
Sales
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchandiser, product promoter and demonstrator | R7 238 | R23 857 | 229.6% |
| Representative sales consulting | R12 715 | R29 644 | 133.1% |
| Telesales and telemarketing | R11 201 | R21 771 | 94.4% |
| Retail | R11 797 | R22 785 | 93.1% |
| Short-term life and medical insurance brokering | R13 571 | R25 083 | 84.8% |
| Account management | R13 269 | R24 000 | 80.9% |
| Travel agent | R12 333 | R21 250 | 72.3% |
| Sales management | R30 435 | R43 656 | 43.4% |
Administration, Office and Support
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call center supervisor | R10 944 | R22 780 | 108.2% |
| Call center operator | R9 721 | R19 636 | 102.0% |
| Personal Assistant | R15 005 | R25 203 | 68.0% |
| Human Resources officer | R16 583 | R27 773 | 67.5% |
| Health safety and Environment | R17 202 | R28 136 | 63.6% |
| Admin Clerk | R10 366 | R16 016 | 54.5% |
| Secretary | R16 857 | R25 318 | 50.2% |
| Client and Customer support | R10 701 | R15 667 | 46.4% |
| Office Management | R24 681 | R35 921 | 45.5% |
| Switchboard & Reception | R8 403 | R11 750 | 39.8% |
Manufacturing and Assembly
| Job | Starting – Skilled | Top – Senior | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials control | R19 639 | R38 057 | 93.8% |
| Plant and production control | R15 557 | R29 302 | 88.4% |
| Machinist | R16 280 | R27 733 | 70.4% |
| Quality Control and assurance | R16 374 | R25 044 | 52.9% |
| Process control | R16 437 | R25 044 | 52.4% |
| Tool and dye making | R22 278 | R32 357 | 45.2% |
| Plant management | R48 492 | R61 157 | 26.1% |
| Artisan | R20 487 | R25 680 | 25.3% |
Salary jumps calculated on jobs where relevant data was available. Management jumps show the difference between entry management and senior management levels.
Read: The fields of study that will get you the highest starting salary in South Africa
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