Salary guide: What you can expect to earn in these jobs

Explore the diverse salary ranges for over 100 job roles in South Africa and learn effective strategies for salary negotiations.
File Picture: Independent Newspapers Archives

Explore the diverse salary ranges for over 100 job roles in South Africa and learn effective strategies for salary negotiations. File Picture: Independent Newspapers Archives

Published 15h ago

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From being a secretary to an electrician and a financial analyst, different job roles have different salaries. 

The Pnet 2025 salary guide offers up-to-date salary information for more than 100 job roles across 11 different job sectors based on actual salary offerings from vacancies posted across their job sites.

The salary ranges below are the national averages for each job roles derived from job advert data posted over the last 12 months.

While the actual remuneration packages may differ for certain regions, skill and expertise levels, the salary information can be considered a useful guide on market related salary offerings.

Admin, Office & Support (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Admin ClerkR15,000R19,700
Call Centre OperatorR10,000R17,500
Client / Customer Support AgentR18,000R26,900
Health, Safety & Environment OfficerR25,000R43,200
Personal AssistantR23,500R33,000
SecretaryR20,000R39,600
Switchboard / ReceptionistR10,000R13,700
HR ConsultantR31,500R44,500
Office AdministratorR16 300R18 900

 

Building & Construction (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Consulting EngineerR37,500R64,000
Civil EngineerR51,900R68,100
Structural EngineerR42,000R61,800
Building Project ManagerR33,300R50,400
ElectricianR25,000R36,000
Quantity SurveyorR30,000R46,700
Construction ManagerR38,400R58,600
Construction Project ManagerR35,900R48,000
Site SupervisorR15,000R21,400

 

Finance (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Accounts Payable / Receivable OfficerR16,000R22,700
BookkeeperR18,000R24,100
Cost & Management AccountantR39,000R50,000
Claims AssessorR25,000R32,100
Financial Services ConsultantR7,000R13,200
Investment ManagerR45,000R66,700
Payroll & Wages OfficerR20,000R26,600
Portfolio ManagerR33,300R53,000
Risk Assessment AnalystR30,000R45,200
Risk ManagerR36,500R50,200
Taxation SpecialistR20,000R34,500
Credit ManagerR25,000R36,900
External AuditorR25,000R40,000
Financial / Project AccountantR30,000R41,900
Financial AnalystR40,000R54,000
Internal AuditorR39,600R52,300
Purchasing & Procurement OfficerR20,000R33,800

 

Manufacturing & Assembly (CTC per month)
Job roleFrom To
Production ControllerR20,000R34,500
Quality Control TechnicianR20,800R38,200
Supply Chain Control OfficerR36,800R47,900
MachinistR23,300R33,600
Tool / Die MakerR29,100R38,600
Plant ManagerR71,600R101,500
MillwrightR27,900R35,600
BoilermakerR18,100R23,500

 

Design, Media & Arts (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Graphic DesignerR16,800R23,100
CopywriterR10,900R14,300
Web DesignerR20,500R30,100
Product DesignerR20,100R30,300

 

Sales (per month)
Job role From To
Account ManagerR30,000R44,300
44,300Representative / Sales ConsultantR19,500R26,400
Retail AssociateR15,000R19,200
Telesales / Telemarketing AgentR9,700R15,400
Sales CoordinatorR17,700R23,000
Sales AdministratorR16,400R21,500

 

Marketing (CTC per month)
Job roleFrom To
Brand ManagerR36,500R51,200
Communications & Public Relations OfficerR21,900R31,800
Events CoordinatoR20,000R29,600
Product ManagerR38,000R51,400
Marketing SpecialistR35,300R42,100
Marketing CoordinatORR19,700R26,800
Social Media Content CreatorR11,100R14,000

 

Information Technology (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Business AnalysisR40,000R59,200
Database Design / Development /AdministratorR35,000R50,000
IT Project ManagerR40,000R52,500
Full Stack DeveloperR33,900R46,700
Net DeveloperR39,700R53,400
C# DeveloperR37,800R51,400
Java DeveloperR34,400R49,300
Front End DeveloperR32,300R43,200
PHP DeveloperR31,800R45,400
Systems / Network AdministratorR22,000R38,800
Systems AnalysisR40,100R63,800
Technical / Business ArchitectR41,800R60,200
Scrum MasterR35,600R54,600
Test AnalystR33,400R41,000
IT Support TechnicianR14,500R21,100
Data ScientistR46,600R56,700
Data EngineerR36,600R50,400
Data AnalystR35,000R47,200
Business Intelligence AnalystR42,300R51,100

 

Architecture & Engineering (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Structural EngineerR42,00R61,800
Architectural DraughtsmanR20,00R30,800
Mechanical EngineerR40,000R61,000
Civil EngineerR51,900R68,100
Electrical EngineerR49,000R61,300
Industrial EngineerR34,500R39,400

 

Warehousing & Logistics (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Dispatcher / ReceiverR15,000R20,900
Logistics ManagerR25,000R35,700
Warehouse OperatorR18,000R24,500
Logistics CoordinatorR21,100R28,500
Warehouse SupervisorR18,600R23,900
Fleet ControllerR18,600R22,100

 

Business & Managment (CTC per month)
Job roleFromTo
Business Development ConsultantR35,00R53,800
Employee Training / Development FacilitatorR22,900R30,900
Executive Manager / DirectorR100,000R131,400
Infrastructure / Operations ConsultantR40,000R51,500
Middle / Department ManagerR40,000R56,100
Senior ManagerR50,000R67,600
RecruiterR16,200R24,500
Strategy ConsultantR27,000R42,600
Team Leader & SupervisorR24,000R34,800
Maintenance ManagerR40,400R64,100
Production ManagerR46,500R55,000

 

Salary negotiations

The conversation around motivating for a salary increase or improved compensation can be nerve-wracking and can give employees anxiety, according to Advaita Naidoo, Africa MD, Jack Hammer Global, an executive search firm.

Here is advice for those workers who are looking an improved compensation package:

Understand your value

It is important to know and articulate the value you bring to your organisation. This involves:

– detailing your accomplishments

– quantifying your impact

– demonstrating how your work benefits the company.

Be thoroughly prepared

Proper preparation is key to successful salary negotiations.

Being prepared means researching industry standards, practising your talking points as well as anticipating potential questions and counter-arguments.

You could try roleplaying with a trusted friend or colleague to build your confidence and composure.

Think of alternatives

You may find yourself in the situation where your company legitimately is not able to accommodate a salary increase at the moment, due to financial constraints.

Therefore you should approach the negotiating table with alternatives which your employer will be able to accommodate.

Other incentives including: performance-related bonuses, extra stipends for further studies, or project-based incentives could add value to the company. Another option could be flexible working conditions.

Providing your organisation with potential solutions that are doable and will benefit both you and the company.

“Alternative solutions are particularly relevant when navigating salary increase negotiations within larger corporations. It's essential to understand the structural constraints that often come into play,” Naidoo said.

“In many cases, the overall increase pot is pre-determined and must be distributed among a larger number of employees. This can significantly limit the wiggle room available for individual salary adjustments.”

Approach the negotiations carefully

Heightened emotions can cloud judgment during negotiations therefore it is essential to take a clinical approach.

Focusing on the specific value you bring your employer and the solutions that benefit both parties. You could propose creative solutions that are valuable to you but don’t cost the company a lot of money.

Manage your rejection constructively

It is important that you are prepared for your request to be turned down. If you are rejected, remain calm and seek clarity.

Then ask for specific feedback on what you need to do to earn a raise and under what circumstances an increase might be available.

With this approach you can have an understanding of the perspective of the company which can lead to a clearer path forward.

IOL Business