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 |
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 |
