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Chemical Engineer Average Salary in South Africa 2024

How much money does a person working as Chemical Engineer make in South Africa?


Average Monthly Salary
33,000 ZAR
( 396,000 ZAR yearly)

LOW
15,200
ZAR
AVERAGE
33,000
ZAR
HIGH
52,500
ZAR
All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Chemical Engineer in South Africa typically earns around 33,000 ZAR. Salaries range from 15,200 ZAR (lowest) to 52,500 ZAR (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Chemical Engineer salaries in South Africa vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Chemical Engineer Pay Scale and Salaries in South Africa

Median and salary distribution South Africa Chemical Engineer monthly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
31,300 ZAR or more
10% of people earn
27,400 to 31,300 ZAR
20% of people earn
18,900 ZAR or less
65% of people earn
18,900 to 27,400 ZAR
Minimum Salary
15,200 ZAR
Median
31,500 ZAR
Maximum
52,500 ZAR




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Chemical Engineer in South Africa range from 15,200 ZAR (starting salary) to 52,500 ZAR (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 31,500 ZAR, half of the professionals who work as Chemical Engineer in South Africa earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Chemical Engineer in South Africa earn less than 25,400 ZAR, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 36,400 ZAR while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Chemical Engineer in South Africa compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 18,900 ZAR to 27,400 ZAR. About 20% of salaries are below the 18,900 ZAR mark, while 10% fall within the range of 27,400 ZAR to 31,300 ZAR. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 31,300 ZAR.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Chemical Engineer / South Africa

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
17,200 ZAR
2 - 5 Years+34%
23,000 ZAR
5 - 10 Years+48%
34,000 ZAR
10 - 15 Years+22%
41,500 ZAR
15 - 20 Years+9%
45,200 ZAR
20+ Years+8%
48,900 ZAR
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience monthly South Africa Chemical Engineer
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Chemical Engineer and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 17,200 ZAR.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 23,000 ZAR, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 34,000 ZAR, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 41,500 ZAR, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 45,200 ZAR, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 48,900 ZAR, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Chemical Engineer / South Africa

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Chemical Engineer.

Bachelor's Degree
19,700 ZAR
Master's Degree+57%
30,800 ZAR
PhD+68%
51,700 ZAR
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level monthly South Africa Chemical Engineer
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We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Chemical Engineer in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: Bachelor's Degree

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 19,700 ZAR.


Level 2: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 30,800 ZAR, 57% more than the previous level.


Level 3: PhD

At this level, the average salary becomes 51,700 ZAR, 68% more than the previous level.



Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in South Africa costs anywhere from 156,000 ZAR to 469,000 ZAR and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.

You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.

Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.

If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.


Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Chemical Engineer / South Africa

Salary comparison by gender South Africa Chemical Engineer monthly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Chemical Engineer in South Africa, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 12%.

Male
34,800 ZAR
Female-11%
31,200 ZAR
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in South Africa for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender monthly South Africa
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Chemical Engineer / South Africa

How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for individuals working as Chemical Engineer? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Chemical Engineer in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate South Africa Chemical Engineer
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

South Africa / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate South Africa
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in South Africa is 5%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Chemical Engineer / South Africa

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate South Africa Chemical Engineer
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42% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 58% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 2% to 7% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Goal-Based Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting Cast

Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business.

Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations.

Example:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Average Hourly Wage / Chemical Engineer / South Africa


190 ZAR per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Chemical Engineer in South Africa is 190 ZAR.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Chemical Engineer in South Africa is 88 ZAR. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Science and Technical Services-100%
3D Lab Technologist29,900 ZAR-9%
3D Printing Specialist28,900 ZAR-12%
Algorithm Developer42,300 ZAR+28%
Analytical Chemist60,300 ZAR+83%
Anthropologist47,100 ZAR+43%
Archeologist41,700 ZAR+26%
Assistant Breeder20,000 ZAR-39%
Astronomer69,200 ZAR+110%
Atmospheric and Space Scientist56,900 ZAR+72%
Behavior Analyst39,200 ZAR+19%
Behavior Intervention Specialist43,300 ZAR+31%
Behavior Specialist40,300 ZAR+22%
Biochemist68,700 ZAR+110%
Biofuels Processing Technician26,300 ZAR-20%
Biofuels Production Manager46,700 ZAR+41%
Biologist70,100 ZAR+110%
Biomedical Laboratory Officer26,500 ZAR-20%
Biomedical Scientist71,100 ZAR+120%
Biophysicist67,400 ZAR+100%
Chemical Engineer33,000 ZAR-0%
Chemical Technologist31,200 ZAR-5%
Chemist65,900 ZAR+100%
Chief Robotics Integration Officer46,500 ZAR+41%
Chief Technologist60,400 ZAR+83%
Climate Change Analyst46,000 ZAR+39%
Clinical Laboratory Scientist67,400 ZAR+100%
Computer Scientist54,700 ZAR+66%
Conservation Scientist54,700 ZAR+66%
Data Science Specialist43,200 ZAR+31%
Data Scientist49,600 ZAR+50%
DNA Analyst69,200 ZAR+110%
Ecologist53,600 ZAR+62%
Economic Development Specialist54,200 ZAR+64%
Flavourist22,800 ZAR-31%
Food Scientist41,700 ZAR+26%
Forensic Scientist56,900 ZAR+72%
Formulation Technologist26,800 ZAR-19%
Fraud Investigator33,100 ZAR+0%
Genomics Scientist65,600 ZAR+99%
Geographer37,700 ZAR+14%
Geographic Information Systems Technician24,200 ZAR-27%
Geological Data Technician24,000 ZAR-27%
Geological Technician27,400 ZAR-17%
Geologist58,200 ZAR+76%
Geomatics Scientist55,300 ZAR+68%
Geophysical Data Technician22,700 ZAR-31%
Geospatial Information Scientist and Technologist52,900 ZAR+60%
Global Technical Lead68,700 ZAR+110%
Hydrologist43,800 ZAR+33%
Industrial Ecologist46,300 ZAR+40%
Intelligence Analyst38,700 ZAR+17%
Internet of Things (IoT) Architect36,600 ZAR+11%
Internet of Things (IoT) Compliance Analyst38,200 ZAR+16%
Internet of Things (IoT) Consultant40,700 ZAR+23%
Internet of Things (IoT) Engineer34,100 ZAR+3%
Internet of Things (IoT) Integration Specialist36,700 ZAR+11%
Internet of Things (IoT) Logistics Analyst29,600 ZAR-10%
Internet of Things (IoT) Security Analyst30,700 ZAR-7%
Internet of Things (IoT) Specialist31,500 ZAR-5%
Internet of Things (IoT) Technician24,100 ZAR-27%
Knowledge Management Specialist34,600 ZAR+5%
Lab Analyst28,500 ZAR-14%
Lab Manager48,800 ZAR+48%
Lab Technician20,800 ZAR-37%
Laboratory Manager48,800 ZAR+48%
Laboratory Researcher32,600 ZAR-1%
Laboratory Technician21,000 ZAR-36%
Life Sciences Analyst47,700 ZAR+45%
Life Scientist54,800 ZAR+66%
Marine Architect40,700 ZAR+23%
Marine Biologist49,500 ZAR+50%
Marine Superintendent28,900 ZAR-12%
Materials Analyst28,100 ZAR-15%
Materials Scientist52,300 ZAR+58%
Mathematician55,400 ZAR+68%
Medical Scientist73,600 ZAR+120%
Metallurgist50,400 ZAR+53%
Meteorologist50,500 ZAR+53%
Microbiologist74,300 ZAR+130%
Natural Language Processing Researcher42,100 ZAR+28%
Natural Resource Specialist38,300 ZAR+16%
Natural Resources Analyst41,400 ZAR+25%
Natural Sciences Manager64,200 ZAR+95%
Neurotechnology Specialist63,300 ZAR+92%
Nuclear Engineer75,900 ZAR+130%
Physical Scientist57,300 ZAR+74%
Physicist69,600 ZAR+110%
Political Scientist54,900 ZAR+66%
Polygraph Examiner19,300 ZAR-42%
Polysomnographic Technologist33,100 ZAR+0%
Product Development Scientist56,400 ZAR+71%
Quantitative Research Analyst45,400 ZAR+38%
Quantitative Researcher45,400 ZAR+38%
Quantum Algorithm Developer37,700 ZAR+14%
Quantum Computing Engineer34,000 ZAR+3%
Quantum Computing Ethics Officer32,200 ZAR-2%
Quantum Computing Specialist36,900 ZAR+12%
Radiation Protection Specialist36,800 ZAR+11%
Refrigeration Technician16,500 ZAR-50%
Research Scientist47,800 ZAR+45%
Risk Safety Engineer30,300 ZAR-8%
Robotics Architect40,100 ZAR+21%
Scientific Photographer30,300 ZAR-8%
Scientific Programmer43,100 ZAR+31%
Scientist51,100 ZAR+55%
Service Engineer29,400 ZAR-11%
Service Technician19,900 ZAR-40%
Social Science Research Assistant29,100 ZAR-12%
Social Scientist53,900 ZAR+63%
Sociologist51,900 ZAR+57%
Soil Scientist43,700 ZAR+32%
Statistical Analyst31,100 ZAR-6%
Statistical Assistant22,700 ZAR-31%
Statistician49,200 ZAR+49%
Survey Analyst30,400 ZAR-8%
Survey Researcher28,300 ZAR-14%
Surveying and Mapping Technician19,300 ZAR-42%
Team Leader41,800 ZAR+27%
Technical Manager48,700 ZAR+48%
Technical Officer21,000 ZAR-36%
Technical Service Director62,500 ZAR+89%
Technical Services Regulatory Affairs Specialist29,400 ZAR-11%
Technical Services Research and Development Manager70,100 ZAR+110%
Technical Services Research Associate32,900 ZAR-0%
Technical Services Research Coordinator34,100 ZAR+3%
Technician19,600 ZAR-41%
Water Ecologist56,500 ZAR+71%
Wearable Technology Developer33,600 ZAR+2%
Wearables Specialist28,800 ZAR-13%
Wildlife Biologist46,700 ZAR+41%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Cape Town34,400 ZAR
Johannesburg33,400 ZAR

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in South Africa is 7% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
30,400 ZAR
Public Sector+7%
32,400 ZAR
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Chemical Engineer in South Africa?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 31,500 ZAR and 36,400 ZAR. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Chemical Engineer in South Africa ranges from 15,200 ZAR to 25,400 ZAR. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary


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