Salaries in South Africa — average pay by sector

What people earn across South Africa's main sectors — based on official StatsSA earnings data, with the take-home pay after tax worked out on current SARS tables, plus real salaries reported anonymously by readers.

Salary guides by profession

Deep-dives on what specific jobs pay in South Africa — from accountants and teachers to engineers and healthcare workers.

Where these numbers come from

Sector averages are taken from Statistics South Africa's Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) — the official measure of average monthly earnings per employee. We show the gross figure and then calculate the take-home pay after PAYE and UIF using the latest SARS tax tables. On top of the official data, readers can anonymously report what they earn. Those submissions build a live, community-sourced view of pay by sector and job title — no names, no personal details, just the numbers.

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Sector figures are sourced from StatsSA; reader-reported salaries are unverified and shown for general guidance only. Not financial or career advice. Use with your personal Money OS tools for best results.

Salaries in South Africa — average pay by sector

Mining & quarrying

Manufacturing

Electricity, gas & water

Construction

Trade, catering & accommodation

Transport, storage & communication

Finance & business services

Community, social & personal services

Agriculture, forestry & fishing

Government & public sector

Salary guides by profession

Where these numbers come from

Know your real take-home pay