A person working as a Personal Assistant in Zambia typically earns around 3,010 ZMK per month. Salaries range from 1,390 ZMK (lowest) to 4,790 ZMK (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Personal Assistant salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Personal Assistant salaries in Zambia range from 1,390 ZMK per month (minimum salary) to 4,790 ZMK per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 3,250 ZMK per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Personal Assistant(s) are earning less than 3,250 ZMK while the other half are earning more than 3,250 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 Personal Assistant(s) are earning less than 2,090 ZMK while 75% of them are earning more than 2,090 ZMK. Also from the diagram, 75% of Personal Assistant(s) are earning less than 4,340 ZMK while 25% are earning more than 4,340 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 Personal Assistant salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Personal Assistant with less than two years of experience makes approximately 1,570 ZMK per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 2,100 ZMK per month, 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 3,100 ZMK per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Personal Assistant(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 3,780 ZMK per month, 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 4,120 ZMK per month, 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 4,470 ZMK per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 1,570 ZMK | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 2,100 ZMK |
5 - 10 Years | +48% | 3,100 ZMK |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 3,780 ZMK |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 4,120 ZMK |
20+ Years | +8% | 4,470 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 Personal Assistant salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of a Personal Assistant is 1,790 ZMK per month.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 2,810 ZMK per month, 57% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 4,720 ZMK per month, 68% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
High School | 1,790 ZMK | |
Certificate or Diploma | +57% | 2,810 ZMK |
Bachelor's Degree | +68% | 4,720 ZMK |
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Personal Assistant employees in Zambia earn 14% less than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 2,780 ZMK | |
Female | +17% | 3,250 ZMK |
Personal Assistant(s) in Zambia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 5% every 30 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 2021. 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.
A Personal Assistant is considered to be a low 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.
85% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 15% 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 | 15% | |
No Bonus | 85% |
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 Personal Assistant is 15% less than that of Administration / Reception / Secretarial. Also, Administration / Reception / Secretarial salaries are 41% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Accreditation Specialist | 6,740 ZMK | ![]() |
Administrative Aide | 2,350 ZMK | ![]() |
Administrative Analyst | 4,590 ZMK | ![]() |
Administrative Assistant | 3,140 ZMK | ![]() |
Administrative Associate | 2,960 ZMK | ![]() |
Administrative Manager | 4,950 ZMK | ![]() |
Administrative Receptionist | 2,750 ZMK | ![]() |
Board Secretary | 2,970 ZMK | ![]() |
Central Office Operator | 2,890 ZMK | ![]() |
Clerk | 2,030 ZMK | ![]() |
Commercial Administrator | 4,450 ZMK | ![]() |
Commissions Processor | 3,790 ZMK | ![]() |
Conveyancing Secretary | 2,690 ZMK | ![]() |
Document Controller | 2,700 ZMK | ![]() |
Document Management Specialist | 3,920 ZMK | ![]() |
Executive Assistant | 3,390 ZMK | ![]() |
Executive Personal Assistant | 3,800 ZMK | ![]() |
Executive Secretary | 3,360 ZMK | ![]() |
Front Desk Attendant | 2,940 ZMK | ![]() |
Front Desk Coordinator | 3,770 ZMK | ![]() |
Front Desk Manager | 4,940 ZMK | ![]() |
Group Services Manager | 7,960 ZMK | ![]() |
Head Receptionist | 3,550 ZMK | ![]() |
Key Account Assistant | 3,650 ZMK | ![]() |
Keyboard and Data Entry Operator | 2,040 ZMK | ![]() |
Leasing Administrator | 3,860 ZMK | ![]() |
Legal Secretary | 3,080 ZMK | ![]() |
Librarian | 3,870 ZMK | ![]() |
Mailroom Manager | 3,290 ZMK | ![]() |
Management Support Secretary | 3,120 ZMK | ![]() |
Master Programme Coordinator | 6,060 ZMK | ![]() |
Medical Receptionist | 3,230 ZMK | ![]() |
Meeting and Event Assistant | 3,470 ZMK | ![]() |
Meeting and Event Manager | 7,160 ZMK | ![]() |
Night Manager | 4,710 ZMK | ![]() |
Office Administrator | 4,910 ZMK | ![]() |
Office Assistant | 2,030 ZMK | ![]() |
Office Manager | 5,440 ZMK | ![]() |
Office Services Coordinator | 4,080 ZMK | ![]() |
Operations Analyst | 6,380 ZMK | ![]() |
Operations Manager | 8,010 ZMK | ![]() |
Personal Assistant | 3,010 ZMK | ![]() |
Planning Assistant | 3,690 ZMK | ![]() |
Process Expert | 4,730 ZMK | ![]() |
Program Coordinator | 4,220 ZMK | ![]() |
Programme Assistant | 3,930 ZMK | ![]() |
Project Administrator | 5,270 ZMK | ![]() |
Project Coordinator | 6,550 ZMK | ![]() |
Reception Team Lead | 3,680 ZMK | ![]() |
Receptionist | 2,790 ZMK | ![]() |
Records Officer | 2,620 ZMK | ![]() |
Schedule Officer | 2,150 ZMK | ![]() |
School Secretary | 2,900 ZMK | ![]() |
Secretary | 2,730 ZMK | ![]() |
Switchboard Operator | 2,420 ZMK | ![]() |
Technical Program Manager | 6,950 ZMK | ![]() |
Technical Project Manager | 7,520 ZMK | ![]() |
Typist | 2,410 ZMK | ![]() |
Wayleave Officer | 2,050 ZMK | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Lusaka | 3,390 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 |