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Unhappy employee

Worst lowest paying jobs in South Africa #LabourBrokerMustFall

Unhappy employee
Unhappy employee

Salaries in South Africa was the focus of a recent Wits School of Economic and Business Sciences report, which stated that a national minimum wage must be established in the country.

South Africa does not have a determined national minimum wage, rather sectoral minimum wages.

Currently, the average minimum wage across private-sector bargaining councils is R2,731, and R2,362 across all the sectoral determinations.

According to research by the CSID, though, the average monthly salary in South Africa is well above the aforementioned minimum wages – sitting at R8,669.

However, 50% of workers earn below R3,640 per month.

According to data collected by the Economists.co.za, the lowest monthly minimum wages set by the government are:

Lowest monthly minimum wages
Security Guard R1,805
Domestic Worker R1,813
Taxi Sector R1,991
Forestry Sector R2,430
Wholesale and Retail R2,514

According to the same data, the lowest monthly minimum wages in the private sector are:

Lowest monthly minimum wages
Cosmetology and Hairdressing R1,809
Hospitality R2,796
Metal and Engineering R3,992
Transport R4,284
Mining R5,787

Skilled employees

While the jobs mentioned above hold the lowest minimum wages in SA, they do present opportunities for salary growth if an employee gains experience.

Skilled employees in the transport and logistics sector, for example, can earn between R10,000 and R40,000 per month – according to Career Junction’s latest Salary Review report.

Not all skilled employees earn tens of thousands a month, though, with certain “admin and support” positions paying experienced workers a salary of just over R5,000.

We looked at the salary ranges of jobs analysed in Career Junction’s latest report – finding the lowest-paying jobs for skilled employees in SA.

Lowest-paying jobs in SA
Sector Position Salary range (Skilled)
Admin, Office and Support Teller and Cashier R5,651 – R6,489
Admin, Office and Support Reservation and Ticketing Clerk R6,909 – R8,283
Sales Telesales and Telemarketing R8,266 – R11,653
Admin, Office and Support Switchboard and Reception R8,316 – R10,552
Admin, Office and Support Data Capturing R8,851 – R10,261
Design, Media and Arts TV/Video/Movie Operator R9,061 – R14,916
Admin, Office and Support Messenger and Postal Service R9,227 – R11,087
Admin, Office and Support Admin Clerk R9,245 – R12,583
Admin, Office and Support Client and Customer Support R9,677 – R11,411
Sales Travel Agent R9,700 – R13,587
Manufacturing and Assembly Plant and Systems Operator R9,770 – R15,167