How much you should be earning in your 20s in 2018
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It is important to note that PayScale’s salary data is determined by years of experience, and not by age specifically. However, it can be assumed that experience and age are closely aligned if most employees leave university at age 21.
The salary data below also carries some caveats – primarily that it is an overall picture of median salaries, captured across all industries, for people who hold a bachelor’s degree.
Different career paths also “peak” at different times: economists at PayScale note that any career where the majority of training happens in school or within the first few years of work, will likely not see much pay growth after that.
According to PayScale’s data for 2018, this is what South Africans in their 20s can expect to be paid (per annum) in their first nine or so years of work:
- Less than 1 year experience: R155,300
- 1 to 4 years experience: R208,900
- 5 to 9 years experience: R357,890
Payscale’s salary data is based on reported information by over 270,000 South African employees with up to nine years working experience, updated as of 12 January 2018. Figures represent the median salary.
These are the most popular jobs for each bracket of work experience as listed by PayScale:
Less than 1 year experience
Job | Median Salary |
---|---|
High School Teacher | R175 980 |
Primary School Teacher | R147 820 |
Receptionist | R58 990 |
Mechanical Engineer | R238 740 |
Software Developer | R168 000 |
Call Center Agent | R63 480 |
Office Administrator | R79 050 |
1 to 4 years experience
Job | Median Salary |
---|---|
Office Administrator | R89 230 |
Receptionist | R63 220 |
Sales Consultant | R90 300 |
Administrative Assistant | R83 490 |
Safety Officer | R153 400 |
Software Developer | R229 360 |
Registered Nurse | R189 100 |
5 to 9 years experience
Job | Median Salary |
---|---|
Office Administrator | R116 550 |
Operations Manager | R310 300 |
Accountant | R261 530 |
Receptionist | R85 520 |
Personal Assistant | R159 080 |
Safety Officer | R240,650 |
Registered Nurse | R218 070 |