Average Electrical Technician Salary in South Africa for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Electrical Technician salary for 2024 in South Africa 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 an Electrical Technician Make in South Africa?

An Electrical Technician working in South Africa will typically earn around 185,100 ZAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 83,640 ZAR to the highest average salary of 294,700 ZAR.

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

Lowest Annual Salary
83,640 ZAR
Lowest Monthly Salary
6,970 ZAR

Highest Annual Salary
294,700 ZAR
Highest Monthly Salary
24,558 ZAR

These are average salaries for an Electrical Technician in South Africa and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Electrical Technician to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Electrical Technician 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 Electrical Technician Salaries in South Africa

So we've looked at the average salaries an Electrical Technician will earn in South Africa. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Electrical Technician can earn between 83,640 ZAR and 294,700 ZAR on average in South Africa. 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 an Electrical Technician in South Africa is 197,600 ZAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 197,600 ZAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 197,600 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 Electrical Technician salary in South Africa, 25% of the population are earning less than 129,000 ZAR while 75% of the population earn more than 129,000 ZAR.

75% of the population earn less than 266,000 ZAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 266,000 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.

Electrical Technician Salary by Experience Level in South Africa

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 electrical technician 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. An Electrical Technician in South Africa that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 97,060 ZAR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Electrical Technician salary would increase to 129,000 ZAR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Electrical Technician, the average salary would be 190,500 ZAR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 232,900 ZAR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Electrical Technician with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 252,300 ZAR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Electrical Technician with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 275,200 ZAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
97,060 ZAR
2-5 Years +34%
129,000 ZAR
5-10 Years +48%
190,500 ZAR
10-15 Years +22%
232,900 ZAR
15-20 Years +9%
252,300 ZAR
20+ Years +8%
275,200 ZAR

Electrical Technician Salary by Education Level in South Africa

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 an Electrical Technician in South Africa based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Electrical Technician in South Africa with a high school education can earn an average salary of 109,520 ZAR.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Electrical Technician in South Africa with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 172,400 ZAR.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Electrical Technician in South Africa with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 290,800 ZAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
109,520 ZAR
Certificate or Diploma +57%
172,400 ZAR
Bachelor's Degree +68%
290,800 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.

Electrical Technician 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 South Africa, a male electrical technician will earn an average of 194,600 ZAR, while a female electrical technician will earn around 172,200 ZAR.

This means that a male electrical technician earns approximately 13% more than a female electrical technician for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in South Africa

Male
194,600 ZAR
Female -13%
172,200 ZAR

Electrical Technician Average Pay Raise in South Africa

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 an Electrical Technician in South Africa is around 8% every 20 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 = ( 8 ÷ 20 ) × 12  = 5%

What this means is that an Electrical Technician in South Africa can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 5% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in South Africa 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%

Electrical Technician Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

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.

An Electrical Technician is a low bonus based job, with 32% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

68% 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
32%
No Bonus
68%

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 an Electrical Technician

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Electrical Technician in South Africa.

Job Title Category Salary
Cable Installer and Locator Electrical and Electronics Trades 108,340 ZAR
Cable Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 106,760 ZAR
Digital Design Engineer Electrical and Electronics Trades 377,200 ZAR
Electrical Designer Electrical and Electronics Trades 332,500 ZAR
Electrical Drafter Electrical and Electronics Trades 167,100 ZAR
Electrical Engineering Manager Electrical and Electronics Trades 520,900 ZAR
Electrical Maintenance Manager Electrical and Electronics Trades 528,600 ZAR
Electrical Planner Electrical and Electronics Trades 283,400 ZAR
Electrical Sales Engineer Electrical and Electronics Trades 354,000 ZAR
Electrical Sales Representative Electrical and Electronics Trades 225,700 ZAR
Electrical Service Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 115,260 ZAR
Electrical Worker Electrical and Electronics Trades 134,600 ZAR
Electrician Electrical and Electronics Trades 187,500 ZAR
Electromechanical Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 190,500 ZAR
Electronic Assembler Electrical and Electronics Trades 169,000 ZAR
Electronic Drafter Electrical and Electronics Trades 148,300 ZAR
Electronic Engineer Electrical and Electronics Trades 382,600 ZAR
Electronic Service Engineer Electrical and Electronics Trades 384,500 ZAR
Electronics Engineer Electrical and Electronics Trades 384,500 ZAR
Electronics Instructor Electrical and Electronics Trades 348,300 ZAR
Electronics Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 187,300 ZAR
Field Service Engineer Electrical and Electronics Trades 371,100 ZAR
Field Service Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 137,400 ZAR
Hydroelectric Plant Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 164,200 ZAR
Hydroelectric Production Manager Electrical and Electronics Trades 472,000 ZAR
Instrumentation Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 143,200 ZAR
Journeyman Electrician Electrical and Electronics Trades 159,500 ZAR
Maintenance Electrician Electrical and Electronics Trades 129,000 ZAR
Mechatronics Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 201,100 ZAR
Power Equipment Mechanic Electrical and Electronics Trades 148,300 ZAR
Power Line Technician Electrical and Electronics Trades 125,700 ZAR
Refrigeration and Airconditioning Mechanic Electrical and Electronics Trades 187,300 ZAR
Security Service Engineer Electrical and Electronics Trades 365,400 ZAR
Technical Manager Electrical and Electronics Trades 498,500 ZAR
Turbine Fitter Electrical and Electronics Trades 101,840 ZAR
Warehouse Attendant Electrical and Electronics Trades 96,500 ZAR
Warehouse Manager Electrical and Electronics Trades 466,900 ZAR
Watch Repairer Electrical and Electronics Trades 128,900 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 167,100 ZAR
Cape Town 197,600 ZAR
Durban 195,200 ZAR
Johannesburg 196,800 ZAR
Port Elizabeth 187,500 ZAR
Pretoria 180,500 ZAR

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