Average Sewing Machine Operator Salary in Durban, South Africa for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Sewing Machine Operator salary for 2024 in Durban and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the South African rand. To keep things simple, we are using the ZAR currency code instead of the currency symbol R.

How Much Does a Sewing Machine Operator Make in Durban?

A Sewing Machine Operator working in Durban will typically earn around 119,900 ZAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 66,000 ZAR to the highest average salary of 185,100 ZAR.

Average Annual Salary
119,900 ZAR
Average Monthly Salary
9,991 ZAR

Lowest Annual Salary
66,000 ZAR
Lowest Monthly Salary
5,500 ZAR

Highest Annual Salary
185,100 ZAR
Highest Monthly Salary
15,425 ZAR

These are average salaries for a Sewing Machine Operator in Durban and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Sewing Machine Operator to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Sewing Machine Operator salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Sewing Machine Operator Salaries in Durban

So we've looked at the average salaries a Sewing Machine Operator will earn in Durban. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Sewing Machine Operator can earn between 66,000 ZAR and 185,100 ZAR on average in Durban. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Sewing Machine Operator in Durban is 112,180 ZAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 112,180 ZAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 112,180 ZAR.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Sewing Machine Operator salary in Durban, 25% of the population are earning less than 78,260 ZAR while 75% of the population earn more than 78,260 ZAR.

75% of the population earn less than 138,800 ZAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 138,800 ZAR.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Sewing Machine Operator Salary by Experience Level in Durban

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average sewing machine operator salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Sewing Machine Operator in Durban that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 73,100 ZAR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Sewing Machine Operator salary would increase to 92,300 ZAR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Sewing Machine Operator, the average salary would be 129,000 ZAR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 151,800 ZAR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Sewing Machine Operator with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 164,200 ZAR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Sewing Machine Operator with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 174,000 ZAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
73,100 ZAR
2-5 Years +23%
92,300 ZAR
5-10 Years +42%
129,000 ZAR
10-15 Years +17%
151,800 ZAR
15-20 Years +10%
164,200 ZAR
20+ Years +6%
174,000 ZAR

Sewing Machine Operator Salary by Education Level in Durban

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Sewing Machine Operator in Durban based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Sewing Machine Operator in Durban with a high school education can earn an average salary of 98,000 ZAR.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Sewing Machine Operator in Durban with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 159,100 ZAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
98,000 ZAR
Certificate or Diploma +61%
159,100 ZAR

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in South Africa is around 156,000 to 467,000 ZAR and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Sewing Machine Operator Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Durban, a male sewing machine operator will earn an average of 110,380 ZAR, while a female sewing machine operator will earn around 120,040 ZAR.

This means that a male sewing machine operator earns approximately 8% less than a female sewing machine operator for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Durban

Male
110,380 ZAR
Female +8%
120,040 ZAR

Sewing Machine Operator Average Pay Raise in Durban

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Sewing Machine Operator in Durban is around 9% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in South Africa is around 8% every 18 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 9 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that a Sewing Machine Operator in Durban can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Durban for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in South Africa.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Sewing Machine Operator Bonus and Incentive Rates in Durban

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Sewing Machine Operator is a low bonus based job, with 29% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

71% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
29%
No Bonus
71%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in South Africa earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
386,400 ZAR
Private Sector -7%
361,500 ZAR

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Sewing Machine Operator

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Sewing Machine Operator in Durban.

Job Title Category Salary
Alterations Specialist Fashion and Apparel 161,300 ZAR
Barber Fashion and Apparel 152,300 ZAR
Bench Jeweler Fashion and Apparel 130,400 ZAR
Clothing and Textile Technologist Fashion and Apparel 351,900 ZAR
Cosmetology Educator Fashion and Apparel 383,300 ZAR
Diamond Setter Fashion and Apparel 172,400 ZAR
Diamond Worker Fashion and Apparel 209,500 ZAR
Fabric Manager Fashion and Apparel 392,300 ZAR
Fashion Design Manager Fashion and Apparel 600,000 ZAR
Fashion Designer Fashion and Apparel 524,700 ZAR
Fashion Merchandiser Fashion and Apparel 243,000 ZAR
Fashion Model Fashion and Apparel 344,600 ZAR
Freelance Fashion Stylist Fashion and Apparel 574,200 ZAR
Garment Technologist Fashion and Apparel 335,800 ZAR
Hairstylist Fashion and Apparel 167,100 ZAR
Jeweler Fashion and Apparel 286,400 ZAR
Jewelry Mold Maker Fashion and Apparel 214,000 ZAR
Jewelry Polisher Fashion and Apparel 125,700 ZAR
Jewelry Sales Fashion and Apparel 247,800 ZAR
Plating Manager Fashion and Apparel 404,600 ZAR
Product Development Manager Fashion and Apparel 712,100 ZAR
Shoe Sales Fashion and Apparel 183,700 ZAR
Supply Chain Manager Fashion and Apparel 614,600 ZAR
Tailor / Fitter Fashion and Apparel 158,700 ZAR
Trend Forecaster Fashion and Apparel 361,500 ZAR
Visual Merchandising Coordinator Fashion and Apparel 254,700 ZAR
Visual Merchandising Projects Manager Fashion and Apparel 528,600 ZAR

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in South Africa, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Bloemfontein 109,000 ZAR
Cape Town 136,100 ZAR
Johannesburg 119,900 ZAR
Port Elizabeth 105,300 ZAR
Pretoria 111,000 ZAR

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