Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in South Africa 2022

The dream of every employee or prospective employee is to earn a good salary. In this article, you’ll learn about the top 10 highest paying jobs in South Africa 2022. These jobs offer you the opportunity to earn a high salary and have a more than comfortable lifestyle.

Just like every other country in the world, getting a job in South Africa is not a small feat. However, if you have the necessary and required skill set, you can land your dream job easily in SA.

Every worker is in need of a good remuneration package. In fact, most job seekers are driven by how much they get paid for services than what they have to offer. It is no surprise that thousands are in need of the highest paying jobs that can meet and sustain their financial needs.

Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in South Africa

Below is the list of the top 10 highest paying jobs in South Africa.

1. Software Engineers

Average yearly salary: R1.2 million

With the exponential growth in Information and Technology, the services of software engineers are on the increase. In South Africa, software engineers are the highest-paid professionals with an annual salary package of R1.2 million.

The jobs responsibility of a software engineer is to manage the design, development and maintenance of software programs. The software engineer profession is relatively new but its ranking proves that it is one of the country’s most important jobs.

2. Pilots

Average yearly salary: R700,000

Pilots are among the highest paid professionals in South Africa. To become a pilot in South Africa, you must undergo many years of training and earn the necessary licences and certifications to qualify as a pilot.

Additionally, 1500 hours of flight experience is one of the requirements for working at a commercial airline. However, once a pilot is established at an airline they can rake in thousands of rands per year.

3. Lawyers

Average yearly salary: R660,000

Lawyers are referred to as the custodians of the Law and as such, they refer to themselves as “Learned Colleagues”. They are among the highest paying jobs in South Africa.

The reason is simply because individuals and businesses require expert legal representation to navigate current policies. Despite continuous social and economic changes these professionals are still in demand.

4. IT Managers

Average yearly salary: R650,000

Information Technology (IT) manager presently is among the growing and highly sought after profession in South Africa and the world at large. In the growing and demanding world of technology, the place and function of an IT manager cannot be underestimated.

These pros are expected to build more cost-effective and efficient systems to meet organisational needs. As our world becomes more digital, tech-based roles have increased in stature and value improving the financial rewards for professionals in these fields.

5. Medical Specialists

Average yearly salary: R630,000

Medical specialists are among the highest paying career in South Africa and the world at large. In fact, a career in medicine is still one of the top paths to earn a good salary in South Africa.

While the salary can vary according to the type of specialisation, for the most part, specialists have huge earning potential. This is not surprising considering that it takes a minimum of nine years to train as a general practitioner while specialists must undergo “advanced education and clinical training”.

6. Petroleum Engineer

Average yearly salary: R600,000

Although the economy of South Africa doesn’t depend on crude oil, demand for petroleum engineers is high. As such petroleum engineers are among the top earners in SA.

Petroleum engineers work mainly at the oil refinery. They’re mainly into oil exploration and exploitation. The job of a petroleum engineer requires dedication and commitment with a dice of expertise, creativity, and hard work.

7. Air Traffic Controller

Air traffic controllers are among the highest paying pros in South Africa with an annual salary of R580,000. the job of an Air Traffic Controller is high demand, especially in the country’s aviation sector.

The function of an Air Controller is to ensure that an airplane flies at safe distances from each other. To become an Air Controller, you need to have a good knowledge of geography and geometry among others. The job also requires individual to fully focus so as to avoid air disaster.

8. Management Consultant

Average yearly salary: R550,000

A management consultant is one of the highest paying jobs in South Africa with an average yearly salary of R550,000. One of the core function of a management consultant is to help and aid organizations achieve and attain a mass improvement in their performance.

This function is achieved and carried out by simply analyzing existing challenges or problems in the organization and thereby coming up with meaningful and positive development plan or ideas that can help the organization counter and overcome the existing challenges.

9. Chartered Accountant

Chartered accountants are among the highest paying jobs in the world, and South Africa inclusive. In SA, they earn an average salary of R435,000 per annum.

The role of a chartered accountant in the cooperate industry cannot be overemphasized. The duties of a chartered accountant are to give financial advice, audit accounts to ensure accuracy and provide trustworthy information concerning financial records.

These duties are achieved through financial reporting, taxation, auditing, forensic accounting, corporate finance, business recovery, and insolvency, or accounting systems and processes. If you have your own business, you sure need the service of a chartered accountant. To be proficient in this job it requires a whopping 7 years length of study in a South African educational institution.

10. Actuary

An actuary is a business professional who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. They’re among the highest paying jobs in South Africa with an annual salary of R400,000.

The job of an actuary is not just limited to finance alone but also are capable to assess and examine the potential of an uncertain event such as an earthquake, hurricane, or any other natural disaster – and assess the impact of financial losses.