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Salary Survey

Kelly releases first bi-annual salary survey

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:25

The volatile economic situation has hit the job market particularly hard and in order to get an accurate picture as to what is happening at the coal face, Kelly, South Africa’s leading Talent Management organisation, has conducted its first ever bi-annual salary survey.

The Survey seeks to provide employers in particular with the most recent and up-to-date information on the job market. In the past, Kelly produced an annual Salary Survey which aggregated information on actual salaries for a number of key job categories across 11 geographical areas.

But, as Kelly’s Executive: Business Analysis, Charley Steadman explains, an annual survey was insufficient to capture the often spontaneous changes that could happen within a workplace during a recession.

“Kelly prides itself in its ability to keep abreast of local and international trends, providing our Clients with smart talent management tools to leverage greater productivity and performance,” says Steadman.

“Our Salary Survey is one such tool, but we recognise that, in this unstable job market, things can change almost overnight. That is why this year we are producing two surveys – half way and at the end of the year – to give a more accurate picture of the current situation.” The figures under review are permanent placements made by Kelly between January and June 2009.

Overall, it appears that employers are still willing to pay for top talent. However, the discrepancy in salaries paid to top staff and entry level positions is significant; Office Admin/Assistant staff in Johannesburg North for example, can attract a lucrative salary (at R19,000, this is the highest salary earned across the regions), yet on average Office Admin/Assistants in Johannesburg North will earn R7,234, putting the region in ninth position, lagging after Johannesburg Central with an average salary of R8,504 (and a top of R13,480), Eastern Cape with an average salary of R8,172, Pretoria with R8,150 and Mpumalanga with R8,071.

The Free State came in at the bottom in this category when ranked on average salaries, yet top earners in this region commanded the second highest salary, at R15,000 (on par with the East Rand and KwaZulu Natal). Steadman says this could be indicative of the increasing difficulty of recruiting quality staff in times of a skills shortage, as well as a consequence of lower staff turnover.

Notwithstanding that some employers do add additional duties to the position which in turn means that position automatically demands more.

As a region, Johannesburg North predominates in the top two positions. On average, Executive Secretaries command the highest average salaries (topped by Johannesburg North and Pretoria with average salaries of R17,500 and R15,357 respectively), followed closely by Bookkeepers (topped again in Johannesburg North and Pretoria with average salaries of R14,083 and R12,282 respectively).

Johannesburg North also rewards its Accounts Clerks well (R13,136 on average compared with second-ranked Johannesburg Central on R11,202 and bottom-ranked Free State on R5,667) and its Receptionists (with R8,869, paying slightly more than second-ranked Johannesburg Central with R8,860 and third-ranked Pretoria, with R7,277).

Sales Representatives in Johannesburg North also generally secure better average salaries (R12,176), however surprisingly Top Talent in KwaZulu Natal are rewarded with a top salary of R28,000, compared with Johannesburg North’s top salary of R16,000.

Please note that the figures for Sales Representatives do not include fringe benefits, bonuses, commission or a guaranteed 13th cheque. It is a rand-figure representing basic remuneration alone.

Similarly, Credit Controllers in Johannesburg North would be better off working in the East Rand; R13,184 is the average salary compared with the R12,961 paid out to Credit Controllers in Johannesburg North.

Moreover, Credit Controllers who excel in their field of command also demand better salaries on the East Rand (R18,133), in Pretoria (R17,144) and in Johannesburg Central (R17,000), compared with Johannesburg North’s comparatively low top salary of R15,541.

The relatively low salaries for Credit Controllers in Johannesburg North, could be attributed to the lower turnover of staff, the positions been put on hold (temp staff brought in to assist as opposed to hiring permanent staff) or simply because positions have been made redundant (you will find one person doing multiple duties such as creditors and debtors control, bookkeeping etc.)

The Free State and Mpumalanga regions generally ranked at the bottom of the salary scale, with some notable exceptions; Data Processors in the Free State, for example, attracted the highest average salary (R8,237), yet its highest offered salary of R11,643 falls way short of Pretoria’s top salary of R16,271. East Rand pays the lowest average salary for Data Processors, paying only R5,700 on average.

Secretaries in Central Johannesburg were paid, on average, the best with R13,425, followed by North Johannesburg on R12,167 and East Rand on R10,547. Secretaries in KwaZulu Natal were paid the least, on average, earning only R8,240.

“Kelly is committed to driving up the return on investment in a business’s greatest asset – people. Our new format Salary Survey is aimed at giving our Clients increased value-add, allowing them to make informed decisions within their business. I, for one am intrigued to see the results of the second phase of this bi-annual survey, to gauge whether the slowing down in our economy’s contraction is reflected in an improvement in salaries paid,” concludes Steadman.