Bad news about IT salaries in South Africa
Pnet’s Job Market Trends report for October 2024 has revealed that average salaries for .Net developers and IT project managers have declined significantly since 2021 and returned to similar levels seen in 2018.
At the same time, the average salaries of data analysts and other IT roles have remained relatively unchanged in the past three years, which Pnet says indicates a static trend over time.
Its report includes a six-year analysis of average salary offers in the IT sector.
“.Net Developers saw an increase in salary offers from 2018 to 2021,” says Pnet.
“However, since then, salary offers decreased again. This trend is in line with an overall decrease in software developers globally.”
The average salary offered for .Net developers ranged from R37,741 to R50,288 per month in 2018 and increased to between R45,000 and R54,561 in 2021.
In comparison, average salaries for .Net developers in 2024 range from R38,696 to R51,948.
It said IT project managers saw a similar trend, with salary offers increasing significantly between 2018 and 2021, before declining between 2021 and 2024.
“Comparing salary offers for 2024 and 2018, there has been minimal change over the last six years,” Pnet added.
For reference, average job offers for IT project managers in 2018 included salaries of between R45,247 and R56,929. These salaries saw a marked increase between 2018 and 2021, with average offers growing to between R53,623 and R80,226.
The average minimum salary for IT project managers was lower in 2024 than in 2018. For reference, salary averages were between R43,902 and R55,955 in 2024.
The average salaries paid to data analysts in South Africa have remained relatively consistent. In 2018, they ranged from R35,181 to R44,730.
Average salaries increased only slightly over the past six years. They range from R36,196 to R45,639 in 2024.
“Overall, there has been little change in terms of salary offers for IT roles over the last six years,” says Pnet.
The table below compares average salaries for .Net developers, data analysts, and IT project managers over the past six years.
| Role | 2018 | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| .Net Developer | R37,741.17 – R50,287.57 | R45,000.00 – R54,561.27 | R36,696.08 – R51,958.33 |
| Data Analyst | R35,180.85 – R44,730.07 | R36,524.38 – R44,440.79 | R36,195.65 – R45,638.89 |
| IT Project Manager | R45,246.67 – R56,929.08 | R53,622.97 – R80,225.57 | R43,902.23 – R55,955.13 |
IT hiring activity slump in South Africa
According to CareerJunction’s Employment Insights report for the third quarter of 2024, jobseeker engagement in the IT sector has increased significantly over the past year.
However, hiring activity remained relatively low.
CareerJunction’s Employment Insights report provides an overview of the supply and demand trends in South Africa’s online job market.
The report is based on data collected from around 5,000 of the country’s most prominent recruiters.
Overall, hiring activity in South Africa decreased by 3% in Q3 2024. However, on the jobseeker side, engagement increased by 48% year over year in the IT sector.
CareerJunction said the IT profession remains the sector with one of the largest skills gaps over the past five years. This could explain the high demand but low employment figures.
For reference, a skills gap is when there is a difference between what an employer expects from a potential employee and the skills they actually possess.
CareerJunction’s data showed that technical IT architecture had the highest skills gap in the South African job market, meaning recruiters find it challenging to find appropriate candidates.
The skills gap related to technical IT architecture has been an issue for some time. In 2019, it was the second-largest skills gap after software development.
It has since taken the top spot from software development, which is now number two. Database design, development, and administration roles have the third largest skills gap.
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