43 jobs in South Africa that pay more than the R27,450 average

Financial intermediaries and those working in the electricity and utility sector continue to pull in the highest average salaries in South Africa – but there are dozens of job categories that still pay higher than the average.

The latest Quarterly Employment Survey from Stats SA shows that the average salary in South Africa over the past quarter is R27,450 per month.

This is up from R26,783 in the first quarter, representing a quarter-on-quarter increase of 2.5% and up 4.8% from R26,202 in May 2023.

Stats SA’s Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) data covers eight key industries or sectors in South Africa, which is split further into 20 sub-categories, mainly made up of various manufacturing sectors, as well as a split between government and non-government community and social services.

The dataset covers earning estimates across over 90 job types in the formal, non-agricultural sector, indicating which job types or sectors draw the highest monthly earnings.

Notably, of the 92 jobs covered by the survey, 43 job types pay higher than the national average of R27,450 per month—with the highest average being R69,419 per month for those working in financial intermediation in the business services sector.

Other high-paying jobs include those in electricity, gas, steam, and water supply, computer (IT), and related activities, air transport and motor vehicle manufacturing.

The table below outlines all 43 jobs with an average salary higher than the national average.

Across the 20 industries as a whole, electricity, gas and water supply carries the highest average salary for the quarter at R53,148 per month. This is followed by services in the non-government sector.

The full list of all 92 jobs covered in the survey is embedded below or can be downloaded here. The industry segments are described 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
• Electricity includes gas and water supply
• Trade includes wholesale, retail, motor, hotel and restaurants
• Transport includes freight, storage and postal communication
• Business services include financial intermediation, banking, insurance and real estate
• Community includes social and personal services, split among government and non-government entities.

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