These jobs pay higher than the average salary in SA

The average salary in South Africa currently stands at R29,290 per month, according to Stats SA's latest Quarterly Employment Survey (QES).

This marks a 3.4% increase from the first quarter of 2025, when the average salary was R28,322 per month.

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According to Stats SA, the average monthly earnings increased by 6.5% between May 2024 and May 2025.

Although there has been an increase in the average year-on-year salary, the number of jobs that pay in line with the average has actually decreased.

BusinessTech reports that Stats SA's QES looks at eight key industries or sectors to gather information on South Africa’s employment.

These industries include:

• Mining
• Manufacturing
• Electricity & Water
• Trade
• Transport
• Business Services
• Government
• NGO

From these industries, over 90 jobs in the formal, non-agricultural sector are included in the data.

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Out of these 90 jobs, only 43 job types paid higher than the national average.

Here are the jobs that pay higher than the average salary in South Africa:

Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R72,591

Electricity, gas, steam and water supply
Industry: Electricity & Water
Average monthly salary: R63,262

Computer and related activities
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R56,629

Financial intermediation (i.e. Banks), except insurance and pension funding
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R54,992

Air transport
Industry: Transport
Average monthly salary: R54,820

Extra Budgetary institutions
Industry: Government
Average monthly salary: R50,489

Health and social work
Industry: NGO
Average monthly salary: R48,465

Insurance and pension funding
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R47,898

Coke oven products; petroleum refineries; processing of nuclear fuel
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R47,484

Architectural, engineering and other technical activities
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R46,394

Motor vehicles
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R45,800

Sea and coastal water transport
Industry: Transport
Average monthly salary: R43,157

Legal, accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R43,131

Electric motors, generators and transformers
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R42,357

Post and telecommunications
Industry: Transport
Average monthly salary: R42,336

Collection, purification and distribution of water
Industry: Electricity & Water
Average monthly salary: R40,911

National departments
Industry: Government
Average monthly salary: R40,348

Research and development
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R40,271

Medical appliances and instruments, etc.
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R39,016

Real estate activities
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R38,606

Advertising
Industry: Business Services
Average monthly salary: R38,558

Provincial departments
Industry: Government
Average monthly salary: R37,588

Activities of membership organisations
Industry: NGO
Average monthly salary: R37,543

Basic chemicals
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R36,815

Universities and technikons
Industry: Government
Average monthly salary: R36,522

Non-gold mining
Industry: Mining
Average monthly salary: R35,756

Optical instruments and photographic equipment; watches and clocks
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R35,601

Railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock; aircraft and spacecraft
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R35,383

Gold mining
Industry: Mining
Average monthly salary: R34,166

Supporting and auxiliary transport activities
Industry: Transport
Average monthly salary: R34,066

General-purpose machinery
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R33,753

Wholesale trade
Industry: Trade
Average monthly salary: R33,653

Other chemical products
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R33,474

Basic iron and steel
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R33,281

Special-purpose machinery
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R32,812

Office, accounting and computing machinery
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R32,626

Local government
Industry: Government
Average monthly salary: R31,804

Basic precious and non-ferrous metals
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R31,714

Publishing
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R30,843

Other educational institutions
Industry: NGO
Average monthly salary: R30,681

Land transport and transport via pipelines
Industry: Transport
Average monthly salary: R30,516

Television and radio receivers, sound or video recording, etc.
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R30,322

Paper and paper products
Industry: Manufacturing
Average monthly salary: R29,894

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