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South African salaries in 2020: what professionals earn

 ·22 Jan 2020

Specialist recruitment firm Michael Page has published its latest salary guide, showing what skilled professionals in 185 different jobs in South Africa can expect to earn in 2020.

“Overall, we have seen a decline in demand across most industries within South Africa, with certain industries feeling the impact more than others. Companies are looking for ways to increase output and productivity, while at the same time cutting costs,” the group said.

“Therefore, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, digital and in broader terms, technology is playing a bigger role in achieving the above mentioned goals.”

South Africa is also facing a brain drain of highly skilled labour who are opting to emigrate, the group noted, saying that this is creating a talent gap in the market, further contributing to the challenges of investing in the economy.

According to Michael Page’s survey data, 46% of job seekers in South Africa are not optimistic about the local job market and economy – though most (62%) believe things will improve in the next six months.

One of the top reasons people are looking for a new job is because their current role isn’t offering opportunities for further development.

“Job seekers wanting their responsibilities to broaden,as well as seeking a better salary package, are other reasons motivating their job search,” the group said.

Professional salaries in South Africa

The group’s data for its salary benchmark is derived from the group’s proprietary database, capturing job advertisements and placements throughout 2019.

It is also supplemented with data and insights from other studies such as quarterly job market surveys, and insights from interactions with clients and candidates.

The tables below outline the salary ranges and averages for South African professionals across all sectors. You can download the full report here.

The averages represent annual salaries, in thousands of rands (R’000). Sectors marked with a * show the salary ranges for large companies.

Finance and Accounting*

From Average To
Senior Finance
Group / Regional CFO 3 000 4 000 5 000
Finance Director 2 000 3 000 3 500
Financial Controller 800 1 000 1 200
Controlling Roles
Credit Manager 700 800 900
Finance Manager 850 1 200 1 250
Senior FP&A Analyst 800 1 000 1 200
Finance Analyst / Associate 600 700 800
Financial Accountant CA (SA) 650 750 850
Head: Finance Shared Service 1 200 1 400 1 600
Finance Shared Service Manager 800 1 000 1 200
Financial Planning & Analysis Manager 700 800 900
Financial Accountant (Standard) 400 475 550
Audit
Chief Audit Officer 1 600 2 000 2 400
Head of Internal Audit 1 100 1 250 1 400
Audit Manager 800 900 1 000
Senior (Internal) Auditors 700 800 900
Internal Auditors 450 550 650
Tax
Tax Director 1 600 1 900 2 200
Senior Tax Manager 1 000 1 200 1 400
Tax Manager 800 900 1 000
Tax Accountant 500 650 800
Other
Head of Treasury 1 000 1 250 1 400
Treasury Manager 750 925 1 100
General Manager: Finance 1 400 1 600 1 800
Senior Plant Controller 1 400 1 600 1 800
Plant Controller 800 1 000 1 200
Commercial Manager 800 1 000 1 200
Factory Finance Manager 900 1 150 1 400

Information Technology*

From Average To
Executive / Leadership
Chief Information Officer (CIO) 1 200 1 700 2 000
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) 1 000 1 400 1 800
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) 1 000 1 400 1 800
IT Director 1 200 1 600 2 000
Head of IT 1 200 1 600 1 800
IT Manager 900 1 200 1 400
IT Security
IT Security Manager 1 000 1 600 2 000
IT Security Engineer 800 800 1 000
IT Security Analyst 350 400 600
Applications
IT Applications Director 1 000 1 300 1 650
Business Applications Manager 900 1 100 1 400
Applications Developer 400 900 1 100
Technical / Functional Consultant 700 850 1 200
Business Analysis and Project Management
Head of Project Management Officer 1 200 1 400 1 600
Business Intelligence Manager 1 200 1 400 1 600
IT Business Partner 900 950 1 800
Programme Manager 1 000 1 200 1 400
IT Project Manager 800 950 1 100
Senior IT Business Analyst 500 750 1 100
Business Analyst 300 500 800
BI Analyst 300 600 800
Architecture
Chief Enterprise Architect 1 500 1 700 2 000
Senior Information Architect 700 900 1 200
Enterprise Architect 900 1 100 1 500
Information Architect 600 750 900
Networking
Network Architect 700 900 1 200
Network Manager 600 800 1 100
Network Engineer 200 350 700
Network Administrator 150 350 500
Data / Database Administration
Data Architect 1 100 1 300 1 600
Database Administrator 650 850 900
Database Developer 400 800 950
Data Analytics Manager 1 100 1 300 1 500
Data Scientist 650 1 200 1 600
Data Analyst 300 300 750
Technical Services
Technical Support Manager 480 600 700
IT Support Engineer 200 400 500
Application Support Analyst 450 550 750

Engineering and Manufacturing*

From Average To
Manufacturing Director 1 500 1 700 2 300
Factory / Plant Manager 900 1 200 1 600
Production Manager 750 950 1 200
Production Engineer 550 700 900
Quality Manager (QA / QC) 600 750 950
Quality Engineer (QA / QC) 500 600 700
Maintenance Manager 800 900 1 050
Maintenance Engineer 500 750 900
HSE Manager 600 750 950
HSE Engineer 500 700 900
R&D / NPD Director 1 400 1 700 1 900
R&D / NPD Manager 750 900 1 200
R&D / NPD Engineer 650 700 950
Regulatory Affairs Director 1 200 1 400 1 700
Regulatory Affairs Manager / Associate 600 850 1 100
Regulatory Affairs Engineer 550 750 800
Continuous Improvement Engineer 700 800 900
Project Director 1 600 1 700 2 000
Project Manager 800 950 1 200
Project Engineer 650 700 850
Design Manager 550 650 750

Procurement*

From Average To
VP of Procurement 1 800 2 300 2 800
Procurement Director 1 600 1 900 2 200
Head of Procurement 1 200 1 400 1 600
Procurement Manager 900 1 050 1 200
Category Manager 900 1 050 1 200
Category Specialist 750 825 900
Buyer / Procurement Specialist / Purchasing Officer 550 650 750
Assistant Buyer 400 450 500

Human Resources

From Average To
Generalist
VP HR / Chief HR Officer 2 600 2 900 3 200
HR Director 1 500 1 950 2 400
Head of HR 1 400 1 800 2 200
Regional HR Manager / HR Business Partner 700 1 000 1 300
HR Manager 750 975 1 200
HR Officer 400 475 550
Learning and Development / Training
Head of Learning Development / Director 1 200 1 350 1 500
Learning & Development / Training Manager 800 1 000 1 200
Learning & Development / Training Officer 450 525 500
Reward
Head of Reward / C&B 1 200 1 350 1 500
Compensation & Benefits Manager 800 1 000 1 200
Compensation & Benefits Officer / Analyst 450 525 600
Recruitment / Talent Acquisition
Head of Talent Acquisition / Director 1 250 1 400 1 550
Talent Acquisition Manager 900 1 050 1 200
Talent Acquisition Specialist 500 650 800

Legal

From Average To
In House
Junior Counsel 500 600 700
Legal Counsel 700 850 1 000
Senior Legal Counsel 1 000 1 250 1 500
General Counsel 1 500 2 250 3 000
Legal Secretary 300 400 500
Top SA
Candidate Attorney 250 300 500
Associate 400 500 600
Senior Associate 800 1 000 1 200
Partner 1 500 2 750 4 000
Legal Secretary 300 400 500
Boutique Law Firm
Candidate Attorney 250 300 350
Associate 400 550 700
Senior Associate 700 850 1 000
Partner 1 000 2 000 3 000
Legal Secretary 200 300 400
International Law Firm
Candidate Attorney 250 300 350
Associate 500 600 700
Senior Associate 800 1 000 1 200
Partner 1 500 3 250 5 000
Legal Secretary 300 400 500
Company Secretary
Group Company Secretary 1 500 1 800 2 100
Company Secretary 1 000 1 250 1 500
Assistant Company Secretary 700 850 1 000
Legal Compliance
Head of Compliance 1 600 2 000 2 400
Senior Compliance Manager 1 000 1 250 1 500
Compliance Manager 600 800 1 000

Supply Chain and Logistics*

From Average To
VP of Supply Chain 2 400 3 100 3 800
Supply Chain / Logistics Director 1 750 2 275 2 800
Supply Chain Manager 900 1 150 1 400
Demand Planning Manager 800 1 000 1 200
Customer Service Manager 800 950 1 100
Distribution Manager 650 725 800
Supply Planning Manager 800 900 1 000
Logistics Manager 800 1 050 1 300
Fleet / Transportation Manager 700 800 900
Warehouse Manager 700 800 900
Demand / Supply / Inventory Planner 550 625 700
Logistics Executive / Coordinator / Specialist 350 415 480
Warehouse Supervisor 400 525 650
Supply Chain Coordinator 350 400 450

Sales and Marketing (Consumer)

From Average To
Sales
VP of Sales 1 500 1 800 2 600
General Manager 1 800 2 200 2 600
Head of Sales / Sales Director 1 400 1 600 2 000
Regional Sales Manager 1 100 1 350 1 500
Country Manager 1 500 1 700 2 200
National Key Account Manager 1 000 1 200 1 400
Key Account Executive 800 1 000 1 200
Marketing
CMO 1 800 2 200 2 600
Head of Marketing / Marketing Director 1 500 1 800 2 200
Marketing Manager / Group Product Manager 1 200 1 350 1 500
Category Manager 1 000 1 100 1 200
Senior Brand Manager 900 1 100 1 300
Brand Manager 800 900 1 000
Assistant Brand Manager / Marketing Executive 600 700 800
Trade Marketing
Head of Trade Marketing 1 300 1 500 1 700
Regional Trade Marketing Manager / Shopper Marketing 1 200 1 300 1 400
Trade Marketing Manager / Shopper Marketing 9100 1 100 1 200
Trade Marketing Assistant 750 850 950
Consumer Insights
Consumer Insights Director 1 100 1 300 1 500
Consumer Insights Manager 750 950 1 100
Consumer Insights Executive 600 700 900

Sales and Marketing (B2B)

From Average To
Sales
General Manager 1 800 2 200 2 800
Head of Sales / Sales Director 1 500 1 650 1 800
Regional Sales Manager 1 200 1 500 1 700
Business Development Executive 1 100 1 300 1 600
Project Sales Manager 800 1 000 1 200
Key Account Manager / Area Sales 850 1 000 1 200
Business Development Executive 900 1 000 1 200
Sales Engineer / Specification Specialist 900 1 100 1 300

Read: More than 27,000 South African businesses will have to show the salary gaps between top and bottom earners

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