East Cape pays top dollar – survey
Automotive sector a leader in the province
THE Eastern Cape lags behind only Gauteng when it comes to the best salaries in the manufacturing sector.
That is one of the standout points to emerge from the latest salary survey done by candidate provider Career Junction.
The survey looks at 10 sectors and intermediate and senior salaries for different jobs in those sectors.
Not surprisingly, Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal lead the way with the best salaries throughout – except in manufacturing and assembly, and in administration, office and support sectors.
According to the survey’s regional difference graphs showing percentage points above or below the average, for manufacturing Gauteng scores 11 to 15 percentage points and the Eastern Cape six to nine percentage points.
Kelly recruitment agency branch manager Nicola Monsma said Nelson Mandela Bay jobs in this sector were in fact on a par with anywhere in the country.
“The particular employer here is of course the automotive industry which includes both vehicle manufacture and parts and accessories manufacture,” she said.
Monsma said a senior job in this sector such as a plant manager could expect R100 000 to R160 000 a month.
But the survey put the highest average salary nationally for a plant manager at just over R57 000.
According to the survey, in admin, office and support Gauteng scored best with one to two percentage points followed by the Eastern Cape with -10 to -12 percentage points, KwaZulu-Natal with -13 to -14 percentage points and the Western Cape with -14 to -15 percentage points.
In the other sectors, the Eastern Cape’s salary scales are predictably dismal, none more so than in sales where the top Gauteng salaries are 40 percentage points ahead of Eastern Cape salaries.
Comparing the same two provinces the trend continues through building and construction with a nine percentage point difference, design media and arts 28, finance 38, information and communication technology 37, and warehousing 39.