Times are tough for young people in South Africa. Unemployment is extremely high, and there is tough competition for jobs. At one point in the ever distant past, it was thought that having a university degree would be a guarantee of a good job, but that is no longer the case.
At Adzuna, we’ve been analysing the content of over 66,000 job ads from a huge range of employers in South Africa. Our aim has been to find out whether jobs that require degrees pay more than those that don’t, and which degrees land the highest rates of pay.
Top Degree Subjects
South Africans with an Economics degree earn the most, according to our research, with an average annual salary of R448,507. They’re closely followed by Medical graduates at R435,187, Engineers at R379,336 and Software Engineers at R375,266.
Bottom Paying Sectors
Art, Marketing and Humanities degrees sit at the bottom of the table, with graduates from those disciplines earning the least. With a nationwide average of 86 graduates to every entry level vacancy, it’s clear that those with art, marketing and humanities degrees are going to have to work hard to get their first job.
High Paying Jobs That Don’t Need a Degree
Our data shows that you don’t need to have a degree to get a high paying job. Legal assistants can earn up to R620,000, Electricians R460,373, Financial Advisors R420,876 and Miners R383,214. A high salary and no student debt could be an attractive alternative for young people planning on going to university!
If you’re a South African graduate looking for work, you can find salary stats and job ads for your chosen career by searching on Adzuna.
If you’re interested in finding out more about these numbers, have a look on Google for the latest results, or have a read on this article about university degrees becoming more necessary in South Africa.