Staff of parastatals are highest paid |24 January 2011

Figures released this week by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for January to September 2010 show parastatal workers bringing in an average of R8,483 a month, while civil servants earned on average R6,590 and those in the private sector R6,541.

The most lucrative industries during that period, in the public and private sectors, were information and communication, finance and insurance, and real estate – where employees were grossing between R10,084 and R11,420 a month on average.

Contrary to other figures that show the private sector playing catch-up where wages are concerned, those working in private information and communication firms earned an average of R12,237, followed by those in the parastatal sector with R9,659 and government with R6,441.

According to the NBS findings, those working as clerks and secretaries in administrative and support activities in the government sector were paid the least, while those in agriculture, forestry and fishing in the parastatal and private sectors were also among the lowest paid.