Employment data from Statistics South Africa has revealed that workers in the manufacturing of coke oven products, petroleum refineries, and the processing of nuclear fuel are the top earners in the country, with average earnings of R60, 000 per month.

The data which covers the country’s formal, non-agricultural sectors showed that, the highest earning categories aforementioned were followed by activities auxiliary to financial intermediation at R58,100; electricity, gas, steam and water supply at R52,600; and computer and related activities at R47,100 a month.

Oppositely, those working in the broad textiles, clothing and leather sector tend to be the lowest average earners at R10, 300 a month.

In the more jobs-specific data, workers in the hotel and restaurant service industry– such as waiters and hospitality staff– are the lowest earners at R7, 550 a month. Given the period covered by the data– being during the Covid-19 pandemic when the hospitality sector was severely impacted– this may be more reflective of contemporary trends.

The whole dataset covers earning estimates across 90 different job types in the formal, non-agricultural sector, giving an indication of which job types or sectors draw the highest monthly earnings.

“The Quarterly Employment Survey data is an enterprise-based survey that collects information from non-agricultural businesses and organisations from approximately 20,000 units”.

“The survey excludes agricultural workers, self-employed workers whose businesses are unincorporated, unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed. Employees working at more than one job and thus appearing on more than one payroll are counted separately for each appearance”.
South Africa Statistics QES Report

According to the data, formal workers earned a total of R746.8 billion in the three-month period ending September 2021, averaging R25, 800 a month over the period.

In the broader sectors, those working in the electricity, gas, and water supply industry drew the highest salaries at R47, 300 a month, followed by those working in government at R32, 100.

The mining sector, the manufacturing of telecommunication equipment, and the manufacturing of petroleum and chemical products are the next highest paid, averaging around R30,000 a month.

Number of Employed Persons Decrease

Over the period, the number of employed persons decreased in all industries with the exception of finance where employment increased by 138,000. The largest decrease in employment was recorded in the trade sector (-309,000), followed by community and social services (-210,000), construction and private households (-65,000 each).

Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Employment Survey 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.

In the past week, specialist professional recruitment firm Robert Walters, published its annual salary survey for 2022, showing what skilled professionals in South Africa can expect to earn in 2022.

Although South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates globally, Robert Walters said it had seen a steady increase in recruitment in several sectors in 2021, most noticeably senior management positions.

Robert Walters’s data show that the top earners are group or regional CFOs at finance companies who can expect to earn up to R2.6 million annually. By comparison, other finance directors in these companies can expect to earn upwards of R1.5 million.

However, the report did not include specific sectors such as airline pilots, engineers, medical personnel and government officials.