Average Machine Operator Salary in Gaborone, Botswana for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Machine Operator salary for 2026 in Gaborone 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 Botswana pula. To keep things simple, we are using the BWP currency code instead of the currency symbol P.

How Much Does a Machine Operator Make in Gaborone?

A Machine Operator working in Gaborone will typically earn around 47,760 BWP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 21,560 BWP to the highest average salary of 72,540 BWP.

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

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 Machine Operator Salaries in Gaborone

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Machine Operator can earn between 21,560 BWP and 72,540 BWP on average in Gaborone. 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 Machine Operator in Gaborone is 51,080 BWP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 51,080 BWP, and 50% of the population earn more than 51,080 BWP.

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 Machine Operator salary in Gaborone, 25% of the population are earning less than 34,080 BWP while 75% of the population earn more than 34,080 BWP.

75% of the population earn less than 66,680 BWP, and 25% of the population earn more than 66,680 BWP.

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.

Machine Operator Salary by Experience Level in Gaborone

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 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 Machine Operator in Gaborone that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 23,260 BWP.
• 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Machine Operator salary would increase to 31,520 BWP.
• 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Machine Operator, the average salary would be 47,400 BWP.
• 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 58,860 BWP.
• 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Machine Operator with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 64,720 BWP.
• 20+ Years Experience. For a Machine Operator with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 68,400 BWP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

Machine Operator Salary by Education Level in Gaborone

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 Machine Operator in Gaborone 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 Machine Operator in Gaborone with a high school education can earn an average salary of 26,400 BWP.
• Certificate or Diploma. A Machine Operator in Gaborone with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 54,700 BWP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

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 Gaborone, a male machine operator will earn an average of 43,220 BWP, while a female machine operator will earn around 40,560 BWP.

This means that a male machine operator earns approximately 7% more than a female machine operator for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Gaborone

Machine Operator Average Pay Raise in Gaborone

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 Machine Operator in Gaborone is around 5% every 29 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Botswana is around 5% every 28 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 = ( 5 ÷ 29 ) × 12  = 2%

What this means is that a Machine Operator in Gaborone can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 2% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Gaborone for 2026

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

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

Machine Operator Bonus and Incentive Rates in Gaborone

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 Machine Operator is a low bonus based job, with 7% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

93% 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 1% to 2%.

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 Botswana earn approximately 14% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Machine Operator

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