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Clerk Average Salary in South Africa 2024

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


Average Monthly Salary
10,800 ZAR
( 130,000 ZAR yearly)

LOW
4,980
ZAR
AVERAGE
10,800
ZAR
HIGH
17,200
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 Clerk in South Africa typically earns around 10,800 ZAR. Salaries range from 4,980 ZAR (lowest) to 17,200 ZAR (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Clerk 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.



Clerk Pay Scale and Salaries in South Africa

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

5% of people earn
10,300 ZAR or more
10% of people earn
8,990 to 10,300 ZAR
20% of people earn
6,190 ZAR or less
65% of people earn
6,190 to 8,990 ZAR
Minimum Salary
4,980 ZAR
Median
10,300 ZAR
Maximum
17,200 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 Clerk in South Africa range from 4,980 ZAR (starting salary) to 17,200 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 10,300 ZAR, half of the professionals who work as Clerk 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 Clerk in South Africa earn less than 8,330 ZAR, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 11,900 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 Clerk in South Africa compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 6,190 ZAR to 8,990 ZAR. About 20% of salaries are below the 6,190 ZAR mark, while 10% fall within the range of 8,990 ZAR to 10,300 ZAR. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 10,300 ZAR.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Clerk / South Africa

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
5,650 ZAR
2 - 5 Years+34%
7,540 ZAR
5 - 10 Years+48%
11,100 ZAR
10 - 15 Years+22%
13,600 ZAR
15 - 20 Years+9%
14,800 ZAR
20+ Years+8%
16,000 ZAR
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience monthly South Africa Clerk
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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 Clerk 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 5,650 ZAR.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 7,540 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 11,100 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 13,600 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 14,800 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 16,000 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 / Clerk / South Africa

How do education levels affect salaries?

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

High School
6,440 ZAR
Certificate or Diploma+57%
10,100 ZAR
Bachelor's Degree+68%
17,000 ZAR
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level monthly South Africa Clerk
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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 Clerk in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: High School

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 6,440 ZAR.


Level 2: Certificate or Diploma

At this level, the average salary becomes 10,100 ZAR, 57% more than the previous level.


Level 3: Bachelor's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 17,000 ZAR, 68% more than the previous level.



Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Clerk / South Africa

Salary comparison by gender South Africa Clerk 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 Clerk in South Africa, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 12%.

Male
11,400 ZAR
Female-11%
10,200 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 / Clerk / South Africa

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

Individuals working as Clerk in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 8% every 19 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate South Africa Clerk
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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 / Clerk / South Africa

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate South Africa Clerk
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68% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 32% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
32%
No Bonus
68%

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 / Clerk / South Africa


62 ZAR per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Clerk in South Africa is 62 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 Clerk in South Africa is 29 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
Administration / Reception / Secretarial-100%
Accreditation Specialist37,300 ZAR+240%
Admin Clerk11,400 ZAR+5%
Admin Executive18,600 ZAR+72%
Administrative Aide12,800 ZAR+18%
Administrative Analyst24,000 ZAR+120%
Administrative Assistant16,400 ZAR+52%
Administrative Associate16,400 ZAR+52%
Administrative Coordinator16,900 ZAR+56%
Administrative Manager24,900 ZAR+130%
Administrative Officer16,500 ZAR+53%
Administrative Receptionist16,300 ZAR+51%
Administrative Secretary15,300 ZAR+41%
Administrative Specialist16,200 ZAR+50%
Administrative Support14,500 ZAR+34%
Administrative Technician14,000 ZAR+29%
Board Secretary15,600 ZAR+44%
Branch Office Administrator26,700 ZAR+150%
Business Administrator25,400 ZAR+130%
Business Office Manager40,600 ZAR+280%
Central Office Operator16,500 ZAR+53%
Clerical Assistant9,950 ZAR-8%
Clerk10,800 ZAR-0%
Commercial Administrator24,700 ZAR+130%
Commissions Processor19,700 ZAR+82%
Conveyancing Secretary14,500 ZAR+34%
Corporate Receptionist16,400 ZAR+52%
Creditors Clerk16,100 ZAR+49%
Data Entry Clerk11,700 ZAR+8%
Data Entry Specialist16,200 ZAR+50%
Document Controller13,500 ZAR+25%
Document Management Specialist21,700 ZAR+100%
Executive Administrative Assistant18,000 ZAR+66%
Executive Assistant18,000 ZAR+66%
Executive Officer20,200 ZAR+87%
Executive Personal Assistant21,900 ZAR+100%
Executive Secretary17,200 ZAR+59%
File Clerk10,800 ZAR-0%
Front Desk Attendant16,400 ZAR+52%
Front Desk Coordinator19,900 ZAR+84%
Front Desk Manager26,600 ZAR+150%
Front Desk Receptionist15,900 ZAR+47%
Front Desk Shift Leader20,300 ZAR+88%
Front Office Assistant15,000 ZAR+39%
Front Office Executive20,700 ZAR+91%
Group Services Manager43,900 ZAR+310%
Head Receptionist19,200 ZAR+78%
Inquiry and Admissions Clerk10,600 ZAR-2%
Key Account Assistant19,900 ZAR+84%
Keyboard and Data Entry Operator10,400 ZAR-4%
Leasing Administrator19,800 ZAR+83%
Legal Secretary16,800 ZAR+55%
Librarian19,700 ZAR+82%
Mail Processing Clerk9,500 ZAR-12%
Mail Sorting Clerk9,430 ZAR-13%
Mailroom Clerk9,510 ZAR-12%
Mailroom Manager17,800 ZAR+65%
Management Support Secretary16,300 ZAR+51%
Master Programme Coordinator32,700 ZAR+200%
Medical Receptionist17,400 ZAR+61%
Meeting and Event Assistant18,000 ZAR+66%
Meeting and Event Manager39,400 ZAR+260%
Night Manager24,100 ZAR+120%
Office Administrator25,500 ZAR+140%
Office Assistant11,200 ZAR+4%
Office Automation Clerk19,600 ZAR+81%
Office Clerk13,000 ZAR+20%
Office Coordinator15,800 ZAR+46%
Office Manager27,600 ZAR+160%
Office Services Coordinator21,900 ZAR+100%
Office Supervisor21,000 ZAR+94%
Operations Analyst32,800 ZAR+200%
Operations Clerk18,500 ZAR+71%
Operations Manager44,400 ZAR+310%
Personal Assistant16,200 ZAR+50%
Planning Assistant19,100 ZAR+77%
Process Expert25,300 ZAR+130%
Program Coordinator24,000 ZAR+120%
Programme Assistant21,400 ZAR+98%
Project Administrator26,300 ZAR+140%
Project Coordinator35,100 ZAR+220%
Query Administrator20,900 ZAR+93%
Reception Team Lead20,600 ZAR+90%
Receptionist15,300 ZAR+41%
Records Officer13,600 ZAR+26%
Registry Administrator16,900 ZAR+56%
Registry and Filing Clerk10,900 ZAR+1%
Rental Clerk11,500 ZAR+6%
Schedule Officer11,700 ZAR+8%
Scheduler12,800 ZAR+18%
School Secretary16,400 ZAR+52%
Secretary14,300 ZAR+32%
Service Reception Head18,400 ZAR+70%
Switchboard Operator13,500 ZAR+25%
Technical Program Manager36,900 ZAR+240%
Technical Project Manager38,300 ZAR+250%
Typist12,800 ZAR+18%
Unit Secretary14,400 ZAR+33%
Wayleave Officer11,200 ZAR+4%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Cape Town12,200 ZAR
Johannesburg11,500 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 Clerk in South Africa?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 10,300 ZAR and 11,900 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 Clerk in South Africa ranges from 4,980 ZAR to 8,330 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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