Gauteng, Durban or Western Cape? Where is the best place to work?

Read time: 01:04 

According to The South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR), the three biggest provincial economies – Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape provinces account for 55.2% of South Africa's population but contribute 64.1%
to South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP).

Career Junction did a salary review for South Africa (2017) listing the salary ranges for 10 sectors across the country. They provided details of the regional differences in pay for the three major areas namely; Gauteng, Durban, and the Western Cape.

The following graphs show different salaries across each category for Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

In the ICT sector, both Gauteng and Western Cape came head to head,
this is the only sector where the Western Cape pays above the national average.
KwaZulu-Natal lacks behind.

KwaZulu-Natal may have come in below average in most sectors but the same
cannot be said about engineering and architecture. Engineers and Architects in
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal can expect salaries above the national average.

Salary increases on jobs offered in Finance range from a 0.3% increase for those looking at management accounting positions, to a massive 79% increase in office management positions. Gauteng seems like the best province to work for if you are in Finance followed by KwaZulu-Natal.

KwaZulu-Natal came below average in this sector as it does in most sectors in South Africa

The data shows that people living in Gauteng have the potential of earning more than those living in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It is important to note that even though the salaries may be a little higher in Gauteng, the quality of life is considered higher in Western Cape.

Capetonians have an abundance of nature, wine farms, and beaches to boast about, the same can be said about KwaZulu-Natal. It has been reported to have the best quality of life even though it pays the lowest salaries. Durban has for a third consecutive year been ranked the South African city with the highest quality of life, in the international Mercer's 19th Quality of Living survey. The same sentiment however cannot be shared about Gauteng. Nevertheless, Gauteng tops numerous sectors in terms of best pay.

Click here to read more about the salary survey from Career Junction.

Communicate Recruitment is a specialist recruitment company with over 30 years of experience in Finance, Engineering, IT, and Freight industries throughout South Africa. Connect with us today to find your next job opportunity.