Is your salary above average?

The highest paid job, with five years' experience or less, nationally is a Chartered Accountant (CA) who is paid R42 500 on average every month, compared to the lowest paid job with the same criteria of a cleaner or tea lady, who earns R3000 on average every month. This shows a difference of R39 500 (which is a 92.94% difference) between the highest paid and lowest nationally.
 
This is according to the Quest Salary Survey and Staffing Trends report 2014/2015, which looks at the average salaries across South Africa for key job functions that are prominent in most companies. The survey does not cover all job types, but does look at 38 jobs, both permanent and temporary work, and the salaries based on years of experience.
 
The survey is an effort to provide various employment-related benchmarks to employers and employees alike and to gain insight into salary and staffing trends.
 
"Whether you are a business owner starting or expanding your business or a job seeker searching for the ideal company to work for, in order to make good business, financial or career decisions, there is critical information that you need to know," said Kay Vittee, chief executive officer of Quest Staffing Solutions.
 
Key Findings
 
If you feel you need a slight raise, why not move provinces? Salaries of employees with less than five years' experience in Gauteng are 7.3% higher than the national average level. For example, the average monthly salary for a financial manager, nationally, is R29, 000. In Gauteng, a person in the same position would earn R32, 500 on average a month.
 
This is in contrast with salaries in KwaZulu-Natal which are 15.6% lower than the national average. Meanwhile the Western Cape salaries are 5% lower and the salaries of the other provinces (which were added together as there were not enough respondents to make separate categories) were 13.9% lower. The survey pointed out in its executive summary that these are quite sizeable variances.
 
The executive summary went on to highlight that 64.4% of respondent companies employ temporary or contract staff in addition to their permanent staff. The highest paid temporary jobs are in the industrial and manufacturing industry.
 
"This industry [industrial and manufacturing] pays substantially higher salaries for every temporary job function, when compared to the national median salaries for temporary staff," said the executive summary. For example, bookkeepers are paid 38.8% more and admin/office managers are paid 30.8% more in that industry.
 
The survey also showed that salary levels remained the same since 2013 for most job categories, when compared to data from the previous year. However, there are job categories in which salaries have increased. This was either because of skills shortages or an increase in demand for those particular jobs. "The categories that stand out are inbound sales agents, trainers, quality assessors and work force management specialists – salaries for these positions have increased by between 20% and 30% when compared to last year," explained the executive summary.
 
Online questionnaire
 
Quest highlighted that the primary sample for the data was drawn from the Interactive Direct business database which is made up of 277, 000 executives and white collar staff. The email campaign, aimed at 46, 000 CEO's, human resource and finance managers, was launched in June and closed mid-July 2014.
 
"The research was conducted via an online questionnaire, which was designed to be quick and easy for respondents to complete. Data collected included high, low and median salary levels across a wide range of common job functions. Survey respondents were also given the opportunity to give additional comments. This allowed for further insights and trends to be identified such as factors influencing recruitment and job-seeker motivation to join a company," said Vittee.
 
For the full report, click here.