{"id":780184,"date":"2024-07-02T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=780184"},"modified":"2024-07-03T08:19:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T06:19:54","slug":"10-of-the-highest-paying-jobs-in-south-africa-with-one-up-to-r213000-a-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/780184\/10-of-the-highest-paying-jobs-in-south-africa-with-one-up-to-r213000-a-month\/","title":{"rendered":"10 of the highest paying jobs in South Africa \u2013 with one up to R213,000 a month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite a tough salary environment in South Africa, some jobs still offer big paydays\u2014with South Africa’s highest-paying jobs ranging from R24,000 to R213,000 per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) from Stats SA show that the average formal, non-agricultural salary in South Africa declined 0.1% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average salary paid was recorded at R26,791, down from the R26,894 recorded for the fourth quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although this represents a 4.6% increase year-on-year, this growth is still behind inflation for the same period, so salaries have declined in real terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stats SA noted that gross earnings paid to employees decreased by R35.1 billion or -3,5% from R993 billion in December 2023 to R957.9 billion in March 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was due to decreases in the following industries: trade, community services, manufacturing, construction, transport, electricity and mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debt Busters also flagged the concern for salaries in South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its Debt Index for the first quarter of 2024, the firm noted that South Africans have 47% less purchasing power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report explained that nominal incomes were 1% lower than 2016 levels; however, when cumulative inflation growth of 48% is factored in for the same eight-year period, consumers\u2019 purchasing power diminished by 47% over this period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means consumers are feeling like they are taking home 47% less today in real terms than they did in 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, employment data paints a similar picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Stats SA, total employment decreased by 67,000 or -0.6% quarter-on-quarter, from 10,731,000 in December 2023 to 10,664,000 in March 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This broadly aligns with the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), which showed that the number of unemployed persons increased by 330,000 to 8.2 million over the same quarter, pushing the unemployment rate up to 32.9%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best paying jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the bleak prospects for salaries in South Africa, there are some professions that will offer a buffer to inflation and are considered the top-paying jobs in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salaryexplorer.com<\/a>, a salary comparison and career resources website for both employees and employers, published its list of the 10 highest-paying jobs in South Africa for 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The list was complicated based on salary information collected by users, recruitment agencies, companies, and other employers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the platform’s data, doctors\u2014specifically surgeons\u2014are the highest paid, averaging R116,000 per month in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this can reach R213,000 per month, almost eight times the average formal salary in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is then followed by Judges, who earn an average of R97,300 per month, while lawyers rank third, earning roughly R78,800 per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average salary and salary range of the top 10 highest-paid jobs in South Africa are listed below, as outlined by salaryexplorer.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be noted that the salary range often has a positive correlation with experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Surgeons \/ Doctors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n