Top 10 Highest Paid Professions in South Africa, 2023

Why work in South Africa?

• Multiple opportunities are available in different job sectors
• Starting a business in the country is easy
• Overtime rate is 150 percent of the regular wages
• Full-time employees receive 15 days of paid leaves per year
• Employees get a holiday on Monday if a paid holiday falls on Sunday

Job vacancies in South Africa

In the second quarter of 2022, the number of job vacancies in South Africa was 15,561 Unemployment rate in the country was 33.9 percent in Q2 of 2022. Number of jobs increased in the sectors listed below:

• Community and social services
• Trade
• Finance
• Construction

South Africa Employment projections in 2023

The unemployment rate in South Africa is increasing since 2018. During the last ten years, the unemployment rate in the country increased by 3.3 percent. It has been estimated by South Africa Employment projections that this increase will continue till 2024.

Top 10 Highest Paid Professions in South Africa

The top 10 highest paid jobs in South Africa are as follows:

IT & Software and Development

Remote work in e-commerce has increased job vacancies for software developers in South Africa. Most individuals will be able to find jobs in artificial intelligence and cloud industry. Many companies in the country enjoy the increase in talent pool as they are hiring candidates for remote roles. The average salary for a software developer in South Africa is R 50,000. The lowest average salary is R 31,305 and the highest is R 600,000. The salaries for different job roles in this sector are given below:

Job role	Salary
Full Stack Developer	R 55,833
Software Engineer	R 55,000
Developer	R 55,000
Software Developer	R 50,000
Project Manager	R 50,000

  Need guidance to get IT and Software jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

Engineer

Engineering skills are in high demand in South Africa in all types of industries. Most demand for engineers is required in environmental and infrastructure. Applicants need to have problem-solving skills along with encountering daily problems. South Africa has a lot of engineering companies that offer solutions to different kinds of problems. The average salary for an engineer in South Africa is R 48,888. The lowest average salary for an engineer in the country is R 27,002 and the highest is R 600,000. The related salaries for engineering are available in the table given below:

Job roles	Salaries
Mine Manager	R 102,449
Engineering Manager	R 67,619
Civil Engineer	R 60,000
Engineer	R 47,697

  Need guidance to get Engineer jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

Finance & Accounting

Finance and accounting sector in South Africa provides a lot of challenging career opportunities. Candidates need to pursue a degree course in finance and accounting to avail of a good job in the country.  Candidates need to set their career goals and then join the sector. The average salary for a finance manager in South Africa is R 60,000. The lowest average salary is 35,000 while the highest one is R 750,000. The salaries for other job roles in this sector can be found in the table below:

Job roles	Salaries
Tax Manager	R 97,917
Finance Manager	R 60,001
Financial Controller	R 52,500
Business Manager	R 46,393
Regional Manager	R 45,356
Account Manager	R 30,000
Branch Manager	R 30,000
Assistant Manager	R 23,806

  Need guidance to get Finance and Accounting jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

HR

A career in human resources in South Africa is a rewarding one as it helps in improving the lives of employees. The HR department is needed in almost all sectors and there is a need of professionals to deal with the issues related to employees. The department also deals with recruitment of new employees and retention of existing ones. The average salary for a human resources professional in South Africa is R 35,000. The lowest average salary for an HR professional in South Africa is R 20,000 while the highest one is R 398,000. The salary for different job roles in this sector can be found in the table below:

Job roles	Salaries
Job Analyst	R 66 667
Human Resources Manager	R 40 000
HR Generalist	R 30 000
HR Consultant	R 26 000
HR Officer	R 25 000
HR Administrator	R 16 969
HR Assistant	R 16 500
Administrative Assistant	R 15 000

  Need guidance to get HR jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

Hospitality

A large number of jobs are available in the hospitality industry. The local tourism industry of the country is also on the rise. Many corporate clients have a partnership with Hospitality Placements and they need bright candidates to work in the industry. Job opportunities for the hospitality sector in South Africa are unlimited and candidates can submit their CV to apply for a job. The average salary for a hospitality professional in South Africa is R 22,500. The lowest average salary is R 15,000 and the highest is R 1,085,052. The table below reveals the salaries for different job roles for the hospitality industry in South Africa:

Job roles	Salaries
Operations Manager	R 45,231
General Manager	R 42,147
Food Manager	R 30,000
Executive Chef	R 26000
Assistant Manager	R 23,993
Hotel Manager	R 22,500
Kitchen Manager	R 17,500
Restaurant Manager	R 17,500
Front Office Manager	R 17,000

  Need guidance to get Hospitality jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

Sales & Marketing

The average salary of a sales and marketing professional in South Africa is R 22,500 per month. The lowest average salary is R 15,000 per month and the highest one is R 75,500 per month. The table below reveals the salaries of different job roles in sales and marketing:

Job roles	Salaries
Product Manager	R 50,600
Manager	R 40,000
Sales Manager	R 37,400
Supervisor	R 22,500
Sales Executive	R 20,000
Sales Representative	R 20,000
Sales Consultant	R 18,000

  Need guidance to get Sales and Marketing jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

Healthcare

The average salary for a healthcare professional in South Africa is R 35,333. The minimum average salary is R 20,000 while the highest is R 249,000. The salaries for different job roles in this field can be found in the table below:

Job roles	Salaries
Hospital Manager	R 60,001
Pharmacy Manager	R 52,500
Medical Manager	R 45,000
Nurse Manager	R 42,250

  Need guidance to get Healthcare jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

Teaching

If candidates want to avail a teaching job in South Africa, they need to go for Teach English as a Foreign Language along with previous teaching experience. There is a high demand for the English-speaking teaching assistants for the rural areas where languages other than English are spoken. The qualifications of the teaching assistants should include experience in teaching math, technology, and science. The average salary for a teaching professional in South Africa is R 35,000. The lowest average salary for a teaching professional is 22,625 while the highest is R 249,460. Need guidance to get Teaching jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

Nursing

There are many job opportunities for nurses available in South Africa for metropolitan and rural areas. Candidates have to work with a trained team of professionals. Healthcare system in South Africa is public. The private sector is also growing at a fast pace. Different types of nursing careers are available which include:

• Nurse midwife
• Paediatric nurse
• Neonatal ICU nurse
• Nephrologist nurse
• Oncology nurse
• Critical care nurse
• Ancillary nurses
• Auxiliary nurses
• Home care nurses
• Traveling nurses
• Occupational Health Nurses
• Veterinary Nurses

Need guidance to get Nursing jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

STEM

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Candidates having degrees in any of these subjects can get a job in South Africa easily. Some of these jobs include doctor, engineer, scientist, and accountant. The average salary for a STEM professional in South Africa is R 80,000 per month. The lowest average salary is R 60,425 and the highest is R 80,000 Need guidance to get STEM jobs in South Africa? Avail Y-Axis job search services.

How to start your career in South Africa?

Here are the tips that you can adopt to start a career in South Africa

Look for a job

Usually, employers in South Africa advertise jobs for the country’s citizens. If they are unable to find any such citizen, then jobs are opened for international workers. The easiest way to grab a job in the country is through companies for which candidates are working in their home country. If this is not the case, candidates need to have a job offer from a South African employer to work in the country.

Apply for a South African work visa

There are many South African work visas and you have to apply for any one of them to work in the country. We will discuss each of these work visas.

General Work visa

This is the most common type of work visa and is valid for five years. One of the major requirements is a signed permanent contract of employment that has to be submitted with the application. This work visa covers majority of applications.

Critical Skills

The Critical Skills visa is available for jobs in the South African government. The validity of this visa is five years and no confirmed employment contract is needed to apply for this visa. Written proofs of skills or qualification have to be submitted with the visa application.

Intra-company Transfer

If you have worked in a multinational company in your home country for six months, you can apply to relocate to the South African branch using the Intra-Company Transfer visa. The validity of the ICT visa is four years.

Business Visa

Candidates who have plans to start a new business in South Africa need to apply for a business visa. Applicants need to provide a detailed business plan and proofs that business will be compliant to the company law of the country.

Cost of work visa

The cost of submitting the work visa application will be around £80.

Requirements to apply for a South Africa work visa

The requirements to apply for a South African work visa are as follows:

• A valid passport
• Details of accommodation and financial arrangements
• Two passport-size colored photographs

The requirements have to be submitted to the local South African consulate or embassy.

Language requirements

There are 11 official languages in South Africa but the primary language used for communicating is English. It is useful to be fluent in English to work in South Africa. Basic knowledge of Afrikaans is sufficient to work in the country.

How can Y-Axis assist you to find the right profession in South Africa?

Y-Axis will provide the services listed below to get a UAE work visa:

• Counseling: Y-Axis provides free counseling services.
• Job services: Avail job search services to find jobs in South Africa
• Reviewing requirements: Your requirements will be reviewed by our experts for your South Africa work visa
• Requirements collections: Get the checklist of requirements needed to apply for a South Africa work visa
• Application form filling: Get help for filling out the application form

Planning to work in South Africa? Talk to Y-Axis, the world’s no. 1 overseas immigration consultant. If you found this blog engaging, you may also like … Top 10 highest paid professions/jobs in South Africa – 2022