Most in-demand tech skills in South Africa — and how much they get paid
Cloud computing, data analysis, and cybersecurity skills are highly sought after in the South African technology sector, according to Michael Page’s 2021 Salary Guide and Hiring Insights report.
Chief Information Officers have the highest earning potential in the industry, with average annual salaries of R1.8 million.
The guide is designed to be a reference for hiring managers and job seekers to make informed employment decisions, covering several disciplines, including the technology industry.
Following 2020, which was challenging for most industries, the report indicates that almost all sectors noticed increased hiring activity throughout 2021.
“We at PageGroup experienced a sharp increase in recruitment assignments compared to the previous year for mid-to-senior management level positions during Q1 2021, and this pace continued throughout the year,” said Paul Newman, Managing Director at PageGroup.
“This would indicate that businesses are in need for strong leadership and skilled candidates with considerable experience to drive business recovery during these challenging and uncertain times.”
While the positive trend in hiring activity was noted across all industries, the healthcare and technology industries noticed the most significant increases.
“Almost all the industries and sectors showed a positive trend in terms of hiring activity, however, the Healthcare and Technology sectors have been the most active and we anticipate for it to continue in the medium term,” Newman said.
Cloud computing skill demands have increased significantly following a drive to work from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, with employees accessing platforms such as Office 365 and Microsoft Teams hosted on the cloud.
According to PageGroup, companies are pushing to make more data-based decisions, hence a higher demand for Data Analysis and Insights skills and experience.
Cybersecurity is a critical aspect of the work-from-home model as cloud networks become prominent targets for malicious actors.
“The economic outlook for South Africa and Africa remains uncertain with new Covid-19 waves anticipated and slow vaccine rollouts,” Newman said.
“However, what is certain is that with organisations running lean teams, they are looking for top talent to not only lead businesses but perform critical roles within their functions,” he added.
The tables below outline the salary ranges and averages for South African IT professionals across all sectors.
The averages represent total annual salaries.
Information Technology Salaries at South African SMEs
| From | Average | To | |
| Executive / Leadership | |||
| Chief Information Officer (CIO) | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 | R1,600,000 |
| Chief Technology Officer (CTO) | R1,000,000 | R1,100,000 | R1,300,000 |
| Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) | R1,000,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 |
| IT Director | R1,000,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 |
| Head of IT | R1,000,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 |
| IT Manager | R750,000 | R800,000 | R1,000,000 |
| IT Security | |||
| IT Security Manager | R700,000 | R800,000 | R850,000 |
| IT Security Engineer | R600,000 | R750,000 | R800,000 |
| IT Security Analyst | R500,000 | R650,000 | R800,000 |
| Applications | |||
| IT Applications Director | R950,000 | R1,000,000 | R1,300,000 |
| Business Applications Manager | R700,000 | R800,000 | R900,000 |
| Applications Developer | R300,000 | R800,000 | R1,200,000 |
| Technical / Functional Consultant | R600,000 | R900,000 | R1,200,000 |
| Business Analysis and Project Management | |||
| Head of Project Management Officer | R900,000 | R1,100,000 | R1,400,000 |
| Business Intelligence Manager | R500,000 | R800,000 | R900,000 |
| IT Business Partner | R600,000 | R750,000 | R900,000 |
| Programme Manager | R700,000 | R800,000 | R900,000 |
| IT Project Manager | R500,000 | R650,000 | R800,000 |
| Senior IT Business Analyst | R500,000 | R650,000 | R800,000 |
| Business Analyst | R300,000 | R450,000 | R600,000 |
| BI Analyst | R300,000 | R450,000 | R500,000 |
| Architecture | |||
| Chief Enterprise Architect | R1,000,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,600,000 |
| Senior Information Architect | R700,000 | R850,000 | R950,000 |
| Enterprise Architect | R800,000 | R950,000 | R1,100,000 |
| Information Architect | R600,000 | R700,000 | R750,000 |
| Networking | |||
| Network Architect | R350,000 | R650,000 | R750,000 |
| Network Manager | R450,000 | R550,000 | R650,000 |
| Network Engineer | R200,000 | R350,000 | R600,000 |
| Network Administrator | R350,000 | R450,000 | R500,000 |
| Data / Database Administration | |||
| Data Architect | R900,000 | R950,000 | R1,100,000 |
| Database Administrator | R650,000 | R800,000 | R950,000 |
| Database Developer | R400,000 | R800,000 | R890,000 |
| Data Analytics Manager | R750,000 | R850,000 | R1,000,000 |
| Data Scientist | R650,000 | R700,000 | R850,000 |
| Data Analyst | R300,000 | R450,000 | R600,000 |
| Technical Services | |||
| Technical Support Manager | R480,000 | R600,000 | R700,000 |
| IT Support Engineer | R350,000 | R400,000 | R500,000 |
| Application Support Analyst | R450,000 | R550,000 | R750,000 |
| Software Development | |||
| Head of Software Development | R800,000 | R1,000,000 | R1,200,000 |
| Senior Sofware Architect | R900,000 | R1,100,000 | R1,600,000 |
| Senior Front End Developer | R650,000 | R800,000 | R1,000,000 |
| Senior Back End Developer | R700,000 | R900,000 | R1,100,000 |
| Senior Full Stack Developer | R700,000 | R900,000 | R1,100,000 |
Information Technology Salaries at Multinational Corporations
| From | Average | To | |
| Executive / Leadership | |||
| Chief Information Officer (CIO) | R1,600,000 | R1,800,000 | R3,000,000 |
| Chief Technology Officer (CTO) | R1,400,000 | R1,600,000 | R2,200,000 |
| Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) | R1,400,000 | R1,600,000 | R2,400,000 |
| IT Director | R1,200,000 | R1,600,000 | R2,000,000 |
| Head of IT | R1,200,000 | R1,600,000 | R1,800,000 |
| IT Manager | R900,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 |
| IT Security | |||
| IT Security Manager | R1,200,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,500,000 |
| IT Security Engineer | R900,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 |
| IT Security Analyst | R750,000 | R800,000 | R900,000 |
| Applications | |||
| IT Applications Director | R1,000,000 | R1,300,000 | R1,650,000 |
| Business Applications Manager | R900,000 | R1,100,000 | R1,400,000 |
| Applications Developer | R400,000 | R900,000 | R1,100,000 |
| Technical / Functional Consultant | R700,000 | R850,000 | R1,200,000 |
| Business Analysis and Project Management | |||
| Head of Project Management Officer | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 | R1,600,000 |
| Business Intelligence Manager | R1,200,000 | R1,400,000 | R1,600,000 |
| IT Business Partner | R1,000,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,800,000 |
| Programme Manager | R1,000,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,800,000 |
| IT Project Manager | R800,000 | R1,100,000 | R1,300,000 |
| Senior IT Business Analyst | R800,000 | R950,000 | R1,300,000 |
| Business Analyst | R450,000 | R700,000 | R900,000 |
| BI Analyst | R300,000 | R600,000 | R800,000 |
| Architecture | |||
| Chief Enterprise Architect | R1,500,000 | R1,700,000 | R2,000,000 |
| Senior Information Architect | R700,000 | R900,000 | R1,200,000 |
| Enterprise Architect | R900,000 | R1,300,000 | R1,800,000 |
| Information Architect | R600,000 | R750,000 | R900,000 |
| Networking | |||
| Network Architect | R700,000 | R900,000 | R1,200,000 |
| Network Manager | R600,000 | R800,000 | R1,100,000 |
| Network Engineer | R350,000 | R550,000 | R800,000 |
| Network Administrator | R350,000 | R500,000 | R650,000 |
| Data / Database Administration | |||
| Data Architect | R1,100,000 | R1,300,000 | R1,600,000 |
| Database Administrator | R650,000 | R850,000 | R900,000 |
| Database Developer | R400,000 | R800,000 | R950,000 |
| Data Analytics Manager | R1,100,000 | R1,300,000 | R1,500,000 |
| Data Scientist | R800,000 | R1,200,000 | R1,600,000 |
| Data Analyst | R500,000 | R750,000 | R900,000 |
| Technical Services | |||
| Technical Support Manager | R480,000 | R600,000 | R700,000 |
| IT Support Engineer | R250,000 | R400,000 | R600,000 |
| Application Support Analyst | R450,000 | R550,000 | R750,000 |
| Software Development | |||
| Head of Software Development | R1,100,000 | R1,300,000 | R2,000,000 |
| Senior Sofware Architect | R900,000 | R1,100,000 | R1,600,000 |
| Senior Front End Developer | R650,000 | R800,000 | R1,100,000 |
| Senior Back End Developer | R950,000 | R1,000,000 | R1,400,000 |
| Senior Full Stack Developer | R800,000 | R850,000 | R1,100,000 |
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