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Data from CareerJunction provides an indication of how much one can expect to to earn in 10 major sectors across the country, including the the types of jobs that garner the highest salary.
Based on its comprehensive jobs data BusinessTech looks at the jobs that pay the highest salaries at the top end.
CareerJunction’s data showed that most of the top-paying jobs are in the engineering sector, where a senior civil and structural engineer earns an average salary of R70,300 a month (or just over R843,610) a year.
Aside from engineers, other top-paying positions are commonly found in the Finance and ICT sectors, as well as within the medical field, which was a new addition to the survey.
The group’s data is in line with a post by Jobmail.co.za which found the following titles to be among the best paid: architects, software engineer, accountant, petroleum engineers, and computer and information systems managers.
Additional high paying jobs as cited by Jobmail.co.za and not covered by CareerJunction include lawyers, specialist doctors, air traffic controllers, and airline pilots.
Jobmail.co.za finds that for airline pilots, while the average salary is R372,001 per year, qualified and experienced pilots can expect to earn a lot more.
“Most airlines have a very high turnover rate and you can demand a lot more money when you are being head hunted by bigger airlines,” it said.
For doctors, while the average general practitioner earns about R476,000 per year, this figure skyrockets as you specialise, the recruitment site said. CareerJunction’s data showed that a senior GP can earn as much as R732,000 a year.
Another top paying job is an air traffic controller, due to the stress associated with the position.
“A great amount of concentration is required to keep air ways safe, and diverting air traffic if needed. Air traffic controllers have to reroute both private and public aircraft and ensure that aircraft do not crash into each other. This has to be done in good or bad weather and they are responsible for making sure landing is safe. On top of this, you are responsible if anything goes wrong,” Jobmail.co.za said.
As a reward for the stressful working environment and risky work, air traffic controllers can expect to earn around R583,450 per year.
Jobmail.co.za said that salaries for qualified lawyers in South Africa can go up to R655,000 per annum. “The more years of practice one has, the higher the salary. There is also a great deal of head hunting in this industry as every law firm wants to have the best legal team possible.”
According to Payscale, experienced lawyers can earn up to R729,087 annually, with the highest paying skills associated with this job being commercial, contract negotiation, complex litigation case management, legal compliance, and corporate.
There are the 15 top paying jobs, according to CareerJunction.
| Job | Sector | Average monthly salary | Average annual salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil/Structural Engineering | Engineering | R70 301 | R843 612 |
| Corporate Lending | Finance | R69 632 | R835 584 |
| Technical and Business Architecture | ICT | R66 558 | R798 696 |
| Chartered Accounting | Finance | R65 840 | R790 080 |
| Financial Management | Finance | R65 322 | R783 864 |
| Environmental Engineering | Engineering | R64 944 | R779 328 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Engineering | R63 157 | R757 884 |
| Hospital Management | Medical | R61 195 | R734 340 |
| General Practitioner | Medical | R60 998 | R731 976 |
| Electrical Engineering | Engineering | R60 864 | R730 368 |
| IT Management | ICT | R58 337 | R700 044 |
| Financial Analysis | Finance | R55 977 | R671 724 |
| Industrial Engineering | Engineering | R55 842 | R670 104 |
| Consulting Engineering | Construction | R53 369 | R640 428 |
| Electronic Engineering | Engineering | R52 879 | R634 548 |
