While pursuing a career, it’s important to know which occupations in South Africa pay the most. Other factors, such as interest in the topic and if the occupation fits your ability, are just as significant when deciding on a career path as money alone. Working only for financial gain is a bad idea; finding something you like doing is just as important.
Highest paying jobs in South Africa as of 1 January 2022
List of South Africa’s highest-paying occupations for 2022 has been compiled below. Earnings will vary based on your previous job experience, talents, and education. To get a better idea of the financial aspects of a job that interests you, check out this list. The labor market in South Africa is fast changing due to the outflow of workers from South Africa to countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. We considered the number of persons engaged in the sector as well as the wages while compiling this list.
Oil and Gas Producers
According to Payscale.com, the average annual salary for an oil and gas producer is R3 565 538. It is not uncommon for individual producers to earn much higher sums of money.
An oil and gas producer may expect to make about $160k a year on average. This also depends on the person’s level of expertise and where they live. Engineers working in the oil and gas industry often have advanced degrees and earn six-figure salaries. Oil industry careers may be financially profitable as well as personally enjoyable. However, you’ll need a lot of advanced training and knowledge in order to get the talents you need.
Those who are successful are rewarded handsomely. You may expect to earn six-figure wages if you rise through the ranks in the sector.
You also have to deal with the erratic nature of the oil market. As with every difficulty, this one can be solved.
Mechanical & Software Engineers
According to PayScale, the employment prospects for mechanical engineers is good. The typical annual salary for someone with this degree might be as high as $80,000. The answer to this question is highly dependent on the candidate’s background and position within the organization. Due to the free market economy of South Africa, where various factors dictate compensation, this group of professions is among the highest paid in the country.
Software engineers are also in great demand as the globe shifts to a more technological approach. All businesses and sectors employ software engineering, and it’s one of the highest-paying careers in the world. As the use of cryptocurrency grows, so will the need for these specialized talents and their corresponding wage ranges.
A person’s income might be affected by a variety of things in this industry. For instance, the amount of money a person makes might be influenced by where they live. The average annual salary in South Africa is $19,000 as of 2015. Western Cape and Gauteng province are the most profitable areas. They earn an average of $30,000 each year.
Pharmacists
One of the highest-paying careers in South Africa is that of a pharmacist. R564,000 ($127,000) is the average yearly salary for this occupation. This compensation rises in line with your degree of experience.. Pharmacists who work overseas, such as in Japan or Australia, get additional compensation.
Requirements to work as a pharmacistAfter graduating from high school, you’ll need to devote between five and six years of your life to becoming a pharmacist. This also contains
- As a student in college for three years,
- You’ll spend three years in college pursuing a Bachelor’s degree (BPharm)
- After finishing your Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree, you may pursue a Ph.D., which requires between three and five years of further study.
Lawyer
In South Africa, becoming a lawyer is a very lucrative profession. This applies to both experienced and novice lawyers, with young lawyers earning between R400 and R900,000. Partners might earn as much as R1 million per year (10 times more than the national average wage).
In recent years, competition for jobs in this field has been fierce. Legal news obsessiveness may aid in one’s career path. This is due to the importance of lifelong education in every field of study.
Law degree programs that have touted its relevance include:
- LLB
- BSC Law
- Juris Doctor at Wits or UCT
- A Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) LLM in commercial law degree with an emphasis on corporation law
- Business Science (GIBS)
- LLM in commercial law
Judges
Judges’ salaries are lower than those of attorneys, but their positions are much more secure. Comparatively speaking, the employment market for judges is far more limited than for many other types of professionals. It’s also a field where the need for qualified workers is never-ending. In addition to their salary, judges get perks such as medical insurance and a pension plan. The following are some of the official entrance requirements:
- obtaining a bachelor’s degree from a reputable school
- Experience practicing law for four to five years after receiving your bar certificate
- That you are competent and qualified to practice law as an advocate
- Commitment to South Africa’s Constitution and a clean disciplinary record are required.
For those who are already practicing attorneys, there is the option of serving as an acting judge. This takes place while you’re still in court, by the way (to build experience).
Medical and Dental Professions
There is a lot of money to be made by these medical specialists. For example, neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery are examples of specializations. Most of the physicians we meet with on a daily basis rely on the services of nurses, who are typically employed as aides because of their inferior education and experience.
These jobs need certain academic credentials, such as:
- The completion of a medical or surgical undergraduate degree at a prestigious South African university
- Internships in state-owned hospitals
- Training at district hospitals
- Some people choose to continue their education after their exercise. In order to be considered for positions such as medical officer or registrar, you must first complete this step in the application process. Doctors’ annual salaries vary from R240k to R450k, depending on their level of training and experience.
Architects
Let’s say you want to be an architect and have a stable career. If so, you may want to try working in the public sector, where your skills are in high demand (an improving housing market will also help). To begin, finding a job might be a challenge. You won’t have as much of a need to work in private practice because of the lack of demand.
A diploma in entrepreneurial management is available to architects who desire to start their own enterprises. In order to create and maintain a successful design or construction company, they will require this diploma. The Council for the Built Environment requires that you satisfy certain criteria before you may register.
You must meet the following requirements:
- Following graduation, you should have at least five years of experience in the field.
- Accomplished personal traits
- Financial stabilityIn terms of salary, architects may anticipate to earn between R400k and R800k per year, depending on their level of expertise and education.
Academia
For the most part, academia is populated by people who have earned doctorates or other advanced degrees. These are the prerequisites for becoming a faculty member in an academic institution. The need for higher education in South Africa continues to rise, thus this job is quite secure. As a result, these abilities will always be sought for.
An academic’s annual salary might vary anywhere from R160k to R300k. All workers get a standard stipend for living costs, which is not included in this calculation. The wage will mostly be determined by the job’s requirements:
- How much experience you have
- Your qualifications
- The type of institution you work in (an advantage if you can get a research grant
Data Scientist
Employers want data scientists to be specialists in not just data analysis but also statistics and machine learning. While it is feasible to get competent with only an undergraduate degree in
- Accounting
- Mathematics
- Employers favor those with a master’s degree in disciplines like data mining and mathematics.
A bachelor’s degree is almost always required for employment in the financial services sector. As a result, it is vital to pursue further studies after finishing one’s second year of college in order to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in another area of study (this will also help you in the job market). Data scientists may expect to make between R180k and R330k a year as a starting wage. A research grant, on the other hand, may significantly increase this. Despite the fact that these experts are known for their analytical abilities, it is vital to highlight that they are not expected to have any additional credentials.
Criminal lawyer
There are no further academic requirements to become an attorney. This is due to the large number of students who get bachelor’s or master’s degrees in law or closely related professions like journalism or languages. As a result, after students graduate from law school, they will be required to complete further training before they can practice independently as criminal defense attorneys.
On private practice, lawyers tend to specialize in a particular field of law. All residents of a municipality or district may use the legal services provided by government-employed attorneys. Both civil and criminal cases may be handled by these lawyers. However, they earn less than public defenders. The South African Bar requires that you get a practicing certificate before you may start your own practice. This normally costs between R15k and R20k annually. Lawyers with greater experience might earn anything from R140k to R250k per year.
Public relations professionals
Public relations positions often need a bachelor’s degree in marketing. This is because speaking successfully with customers and consumers is a crucial element of this professional sector (it also helps if you have expertise in journalism) (it also helps if you have experience in journalism).
It would assist if you contemplated working in either education or finance. Due to the necessity for PR assistance, this is why. They pay some of the best wages in the industry.
This profession is quite versatile. If you want to make a career change, you won’t have to take much time away from your current job to do it (the most experienced in the field). Employees in the field of public relations typically earn between R90k and R160k per year in base pay. Those with over 10 years’ experience may expect to earn upwards of R200k per year.
Optometrists
Optometrists in South Africa presently earn the most money in the country. The average annual salary for this occupation is R94,270, according to the BusinessTech website’s most recent study.
There are alternative jobs, such golf course managers or financial accountants that pay less than this amount, that make it far more desirable.