This is what the average employee is earning in South Africa right now

South Africa's average salary has seen a modest 4.1% year-on-year increase, rising from R29,402 in May 2025 to R30,611 in May 2026. However, this growth is insufficient to keep pace with the country's inflation rate, which reached 4.5% in May, leaving employees' purchasing power unchanged. Overall, the slight increase in salaries was offset by a small decline in gross earnings, decreasing by R4.8 billion to R1.025 trillion between March and June 2026.