A person working as an Agricultural Engineer in Zambia typically earns around 5,130 ZMK per month. Salaries range from 2,770 ZMK (lowest) to 7,750 ZMK (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Agricultural Engineer salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Agricultural Engineer salaries in Zambia range from 2,770 ZMK per month (minimum salary) to 7,750 ZMK per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 4,720 ZMK per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Agricultural Engineer(s) are earning less than 4,720 ZMK while the other half are earning more than 4,720 ZMK. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Agricultural Engineer(s) are earning less than 3,370 ZMK while 75% of them are earning more than 3,370 ZMK. Also from the diagram, 75% of Agricultural Engineer(s) are earning less than 5,730 ZMK while 25% are earning more than 5,730 ZMK.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning 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
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Agricultural Engineer salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
An Agricultural Engineer with less than two years of experience makes approximately 3,220 ZMK per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 4,060 ZMK per month, 26% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 5,360 ZMK per month, 32% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Agricultural Engineer(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 6,300 ZMK per month, 18% 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 6,980 ZMK per month, 11% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 7,420 ZMK per month, 6% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 3,220 ZMK | |
2 - 5 Years | +26% | 4,060 ZMK |
5 - 10 Years | +32% | 5,360 ZMK |
10 - 15 Years | +18% | 6,300 ZMK |
15 - 20 Years | +11% | 6,980 ZMK |
20+ Years | +6% | 7,420 ZMK |
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 Agricultural Engineer salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor's Degree, the average salary of an Agricultural Engineer is 4,160 ZMK per month.
While someone with a Master's Degree gets a salary of 6,350 ZMK per month, 53% more than someone having a Bachelor's Degree degree.
Bachelor's Degree | 4,160 ZMK | |
Master's Degree | +53% | 6,350 ZMK |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Zambia costs anywhere from 30,000 Zambian Kwacha(s) to 90,000 Zambian Kwacha(s) 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 into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. 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.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Agricultural Engineer employees in Zambia earn 8% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 5,300 ZMK | |
Female | -8% | 4,900 ZMK |
Agricultural Engineer(s) in Zambia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 5% every 31 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 5% granted to employees every 28 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely 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.
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
Banking | 8% | |
Energy | 7% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 5% | |
Travel | 4% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 2% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Zambia for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
An Agricultural Engineer is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
67% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 33% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 4% to 5% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 33% | |
No Bonus | 67% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, 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 BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
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.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting 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: | Example: |
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.
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.
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 fix 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.
The average salary for Agricultural Engineer is 42% more than that of Gardening / Farming / Fishing. Also, Gardening / Farming / Fishing salaries are 40% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Agricultural and Food Science Technician | 3,560 ZMK | ![]() |
Agricultural and Food Scientist | 8,620 ZMK | ![]() |
Agricultural Consultant | 8,340 ZMK | ![]() |
Agricultural Engineer | 5,130 ZMK | = |
Agricultural Inspector | 5,090 ZMK | ![]() |
Agricultural Manager | 9,160 ZMK | ![]() |
Agronomist | 7,360 ZMK | ![]() |
Animal Attendant | 2,720 ZMK | ![]() |
Animal Nutritionist | 5,070 ZMK | ![]() |
Animal Trainer | 3,300 ZMK | ![]() |
Aquaculture and Seafood Farmer | 3,030 ZMK | ![]() |
Bee Keeper | 1,740 ZMK | ![]() |
Commercial Horticulturist | 4,170 ZMK | ![]() |
Diver | 2,880 ZMK | ![]() |
Farm Manager | 7,240 ZMK | ![]() |
Farmer | 1,840 ZMK | ![]() |
Floral Designer | 2,290 ZMK | ![]() |
Foreman | 1,550 ZMK | ![]() |
Forestry and Logging Worker | 1,510 ZMK | ![]() |
Garden Center Helper | 1,620 ZMK | ![]() |
Garden Centre Manager | 4,490 ZMK | ![]() |
Gardener | 1,780 ZMK | ![]() |
General Farm Assistant | 1,700 ZMK | ![]() |
Greenhouse Assistant | 1,640 ZMK | ![]() |
Greenhouse Manager | 4,110 ZMK | ![]() |
Groundsman | 1,540 ZMK | ![]() |
Grower | 1,790 ZMK | ![]() |
Horticultural Worker | 1,690 ZMK | ![]() |
Tree Pruner | 1,660 ZMK | ![]() |
Tree Specialist | 2,610 ZMK | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Lusaka | 5,940 ZMK |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Zambia earn 17% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 5,580 ZMK | |
Public Sector | +17% | 6,540 ZMK |