56 jobs that pay more than the average salary of R28,300 in South Africa
Stats SA’s latest quarterly employment survey (QES) shows that the average salary in South Africa has declined slightly since Q3 2024, now sitting at R28,231 a month in Q4.
However, while the quarter-on-quarter numbers were lower by a marginal 0.2%, the average was 5.3% higher than the previous year, higher than inflation over the period at 2.9%.
This shows that salaries in the formal, non-agricultural sector comfortably beat inflation over the quarter, pointing to real growth in earnings.
This starkly contrasts the past few years, where inflation has eaten away at earnings, making South Africans poorer in real terms.
In addition to the overall healthier salary data, the numbers also show that significantly more jobs tracked by Stats SA had earnings higher than the average.
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 90 or so jobs covered by the survey, 56 job types pay higher than the national average in the final three months of 2024.
The highest average was R75,515 per month for those working in electricity, gas, steam and water supply.
Other high-paying jobs include those in financial intermediation, computer and related activities, and air transport.
Looking at the other end of the list, those working in the hotel and restaurant industry have fallen to the bottom, earning an average of R11,703 per month.
This is below community service activities, manufacturers of apparel and knitted textiles and general retail trade, which all earned an average of between R13,000 and R14,000 per month over the quarter.
Earnings over this period generally came in higher for many sectors, as December is when bonuses are paid out.
This was reflected in the wider data, with Stats SA pointing to a 85.4% jump in bonuses paid out over the quarter.
The table below outlines the 57 jobs that currently pay more than the national average:
| # | Job | Sector | Average earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electricity, gas, steam and water supply | Electricity | R75,515 |
| 2 | Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation | Business Services | R73,870 |
| 3 | Computer and related activities | Business Services | R59,623 |
| 4 | Air transport | Transport | R57,643 |
| 5 | Extra Budgetary institutions | Government | R53,616 |
| 6 | Financial intermediation (i.e. Banks) except insurance and pension funding | Business Services | R52,656 |
| 7 | Manufacturing of coke oven products; petroleum refineries; processing of nuclear fuel | Manufacturing | R51,661 |
| 8 | Manufacturing of motor vehicles | Manufacturing | R49,847 |
| 9 | Architectural, engineering and other technical activities | Business Services | R49,576 |
| 10 | Health and social work | Community | R49,103 |
| 11 | Activities of membership organisation | Community | R46,806 |
| 12 | Legal, accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities | Business Services | R46,315 |
| 13 | Insurance and pension funding | Business Services | R46,131 |
| 14 | Sea and coastal water transport | Transport | R44,094 |
| 15 | Post and telecommunications | Transport | R43,931 |
| 16 | Manufacturing of electric motors, generators and transformers | Manufacturing | R42,973 |
| 17 | Collection, purification and distribution of water | Electricity | R42,698 |
| 18 | Manufacturing of medical appliances and instruments, etc | Manufacturing | R42,584 |
| 19 | Research and development | Business Services | R41,457 |
| 20 | Universities and technikons | Government | R40,623 |
| 21 | Advertising | Business Services | R40,329 |
| 22 | Real estate activities | Business Services | R39,685 |
| 23 | Manufacturing of other chemical products; | Manufacturing | R38,904 |
| 24 | Manufacturing of basic chemicals | Manufacturing | R38,780 |
| 25 | Manufacturing of railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock; aircraft and spacecraft | Manufacturing | R37,598 |
| 26 | National departments | Government | R37,537 |
| 27 | Manufacturing of general purpose machinery | Manufacturing | R37,441 |
| 28 | Supporting and auxilliary transport activities | Transport | R36,997 |
| 29 | Manufacturing of basic precious and non-ferrous metals | Manufacturing | R36,739 |
| 30 | Manufacturing of special purpose machinery | Manufacturing | R36,345 |
| 31 | Manufacturing of basic iron and steel | Manufacturing | R35,789 |
| 32 | Manufacturing of optical instruments and photographic equipment; watches and clocks | Manufacturing | R35,529 |
| 33 | Provincial departments | Government | R35,498 |
| 34 | Non-gold mining | Mining | R35,180 |
| 35 | Wholesale trade | Trade | R34,969 |
| 36 | Local government | Government | R33,821 |
| 37 | Gold mining | Mining | R33,171 |
| 38 | Manufacturing of television and radio receivers, sound or video recording etc | Manufacturing | R32,799 |
| 39 | Manufacturing of rubber products | Manufacturing | R32,240 |
| 40 | Manufacturing of casting of metals | Manufacturing | R32,112 |
| 41 | Manufacturing of paper and paper products | Manufacturing | R32,107 |
| 42 | Manufacturing of office, accounting and computing machinery | Manufacturing | R31,734 |
| 43 | Land transport and transport via pipelines | Transport | R31,564 |
| 44 | Manufacturing of electronic valves and tubes and other electronic components, etc | Manufacturing | R31,208 |
| 45 | Other educational institutions | Community | R31,059 |
| 46 | Manufacturing of parts and accessories for motor vehicles and their engines | Manufacturing | R30,591 |
| 47 | Recreational, cultural and sporting activities | Community | R29,864 |
| 48 | Building installation | Construction | R29,514 |
| 49 | Building of complete constructions or parts thereof, civil engineering | Construction | R29,505 |
| 50 | Manufacturing of other fabricated metal products; metalwork service activities | Manufacturing | R29,416 |
| 51 | Manufacturing of electricity distribution and control apparatus | Manufacturing | R29,349 |
| 52 | Manufacturing of insulated wire and cable | Manufacturing | R28,949 |
| 53 | Manufacturing of glass and glass products | Manufacturing | R28,864 |
| 54 | Manufacturing of accumulators, primary cells and primary batteries etc | Manufacturing | R28,849 |
| 55 | Manufacturing of publishing equipment | Manufacturing | R28,736 |
| 56 | Site preparation | Construction | R28,302 |
Top earning sectors in South Africa
Looking at the overall sectors, those working in electricity, gas and water supply are the highest earners overall, with the segment carrying an average salary of R55,359 per month at current prices.
This is followed by the mining and quarrying industry (R34,333) and community, social and personal services industry (R34,402).
On the other end of the spectrum, those working in manufacturing, construction and trade earn below the national average.
However, there are certain sub-sectors that buck this trend.
Namely, manufacturers of radio, tv and communication equipment, coke and petroleum products and other mechanical apparatus do earn more than the average (R30,000+).
The following describes the industry segments.
- 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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