Posted in Business

Annual Ad Talent Salary Survey: Know your worth

   January 26, 2024
Annual Ad Talent Salary Survey: Know your worth


Ad Talent has officially released the results of its annual talent survey, providing a glimpse into the 2023 remuneration packages for various positions in the advertising, digital, creative, IT, marketing and communications industries, as well as the media sector.

“There were many interesting observations in Ad Talent work space in 2023,” says Stacey Bossenger, MD of Ad Talent. “While there was not a great deal to reflect on in terms of salary changes, the trends in the industry were particularly interesting. Remote and hybrid working has been a key driver in the narrowing of the gap between salaries in Johannesburg, Cape Town and other centres.”

General observations from the Ad Talent team are:

  1. The salary gap between Johannesburg and Cape Town is closing. Hybrid working has contributed to the flattening of the salary curve across the country, especially in the tech space. The Covid pandemic introduced work from home on a large scale and it seems that despite many employers wanting their employees to return to the office, this has met with more resistance than many anticipated.

    Being paid what the job is worth, irrespective of where you physically reside, has flattened the curve. Technology, flexibility, commuter costs and time, load shedding and demand for a more balanced work–life have been factors that have strongly influenced working environments.





    “It will be interesting to see how organisations and the workforce embrace this in 2024 and beyond,” Bossenger continues.

  2. Job descriptions and titles have become less rigid than in previous surveys, and roles are becoming more hybridised. Employers expect candidates to have more than one core skill and contribute to the company in a variety of ways. Skills before qualifications are becoming more top of mind for hiring as the tech and digital space expand.

    This has become evident in the tech and digital job descriptions which are less binary than before. Many job descriptions for Gen Z candidates, for example, expect them to have a level of these skills as a standard tool in their box.

  3. International markets have come to South Africa. “We have seen more candidates accept work from overseas companies (who value the work ethic, skills and cost-effectiveness of employing South Africans) that give them the flexibility and lifestyle they are looking for,” Bossenger notes. “Skilled candidates are in demand, as has always been the case, but now there is serious competition from pound and dollar-based countries.”
  4. Skills shortage remains a problem. Skills, experience and slow decision-making have been key observations in the hiring process this year. Continued economic uncertainty along with the challenges to replace skills have strongly influenced hiring decisions.

    “Ad Talent has seen an increase in counter-offers from employers when resignations are tended as a result of the skills shortage and the loss of experience that comes with resignations,” Bossenger continues. “The counter-offer generally implies a salary increase, but employee flexibility is also a strong factor that influences the decision.”

  5. Temporary employment services have gained traction amongst some employers, especially in tech and creative sectors. The flexibility it gives them to hire on fixed contracts, assignments or a non-permanent basis has created a freelance salary band that is steadily growing. More and more candidates are freelancing as a way to create the lifestyle and revenue that gives them the flexibility for which they are looking.
Image source: Pixabay from

Survey info

This survey was compiled:

  • using figures of actual placements made by Ad Talent
  • using figures from salary information obtained from all candidates interviewed by Ad Talent from January 2023 to December 2023
  • using figures from salary information obtained from candidates who have submitted their CVs to Ad Talent
  • using cost to company (CTC) figures
  • using the average salaries per sector

Interpretation:

  • Salaries vary significantly depending on many factors, including size of the company, desirability to work for a particular company and status
  • Salaries for media sales roles vary significantly depending on the commission structure / incentives
  • 0-2 years (light) means 0 to 2 years experience in that particular position and not 0 to 2 years total working experience
  • The same applies to medium and heavyweight. It is experience in the particular position and not total working experience
  • This survey is not intended to be prescriptive but is a report on what Ad Talent (not the entire industry) has experienced in the past 12 months
Image source: Denis Ismagilov –

Advertising

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Managing Director
Johannesburg R90 000 – R100 000 R100 000 – R150 000 R150 000+
Cape Town R75 000 – R100 000 R100 000 – R140 000 R140 000+
Deputy MD
Johannesburg R85 000 – R94 000 R94 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Cape Town R75 000 – R90 000 R90 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Client Service/Business Unit Director
Johannesburg R60 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R85 000 R85 000+
Cape Town R50 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R80 000 R80 000+
Group Account Director
Johannesburg R49 000 – R54 000 R54 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
Cape Town R45 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Account Director
Johannesburg R40 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R50 000 N/A
Cape Town R38 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R48 000 N/A
Account Manager
Johannesburg R25 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R36 000 N/A
Cape Town R20 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R32 000 N/A
Account Executive
Johannesburg R18 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R25 000 N/A
Cape Town R12 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R17 000 N/A
Project Manager
Johannesburg R27 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R23 000 – R34 000 R34 000 – R43 000 R43 000+
Operations
Johannesburg R49 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R80 000 R80 000+
Cape Town R45 000 – R57 000 R57 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Production
Johannesburg R14 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R12 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Traffic
Johannesburg R15 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R37 000 R37 000+
Strategic Planning Director
Johannesburg R63 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R89 000 R89 000+
Cape Town R58 000 – R68 000 R68 000 – R85 000 R85 000+
Strategic Planner
Johannesburg R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R47 000 R47 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R47 000 R47 000+

Digital

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Digital Strategist
Johannesburg R27 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Social Media Manager
Johannesburg R23 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R48 000 R48 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Head of Social Media
Johannesburg R45 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Cape Town R40 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R62 000 R62 000+
Social Media Community Manager
Johannesburg R18 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Influencer Marketer
Johannesburg R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Campaign Manager
Johannesburg R25 000 – R35 000 R32 000 – R42 000 R42 000+
Cape Town R22 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Content Manager
Johannesburg R20 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R43 000 R43 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Digital Account Executive
Johannesburg R18 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R28 000 R28 000+
Cape Town R16 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R25 000 R25 000+
Digital Account Manager
Johannesburg R28 500 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R42 000 R42 000+
Digital Account Director
Johannesburg R40 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Cape Town R40 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R52 000 R52 000+
Digital Group Account Director
Johannesburg R55 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Cape Town R52 000 – R58 000 R58 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
SEO Specialist/Manager
Johannesburg R25 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R52 000 R52 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R52 000 R52 000+
PPC Specialist/Manager
Johannesburg R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Digital / Media / Marketing Analyst
Johannesburg R25 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R45 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R22 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R42 000 R42 000+

Creative

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Chief Creative Officer
Johannesburg N/A N/A R150 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R150 000+
Group/Executive Creative Director
Johannesburg N/A R90 000 – R120 000 R120 000+
Cape Town N/A R90 000 – R120 000 R120 000+
Creative Director
Johannesburg N/A R68 000 – R95 000 R95 000+
Cape Town N/A R55 000 – R90 000 R90 000+
Head of Design
Johannesburg R38 000 – R52 000 R52 000 – R62 000 R62 000+
Cape Town R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Designer
Johannesburg R10 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R10 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Creative Group Head
Johannesburg R38 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Art Director
Johannesburg R12 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R65 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R50 000
Copywriter
Johannesburg R18 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R52 000 R52 000 – R70 000
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R60 000
Proofreader
Johannesburg R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R47 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000
Creative/Content Strategist
Johannesburg N/A R23 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R50 000
Cape Town N/A R20 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000
Studio Manager
Johannesburg R33 000 – R36 000 R36 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R55 000
Cape Town R28 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000
DTP Operator
Johannesburg R9 500 – R16 000 R16 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000
Cape Town R8 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R24 000 R24 000 – R36 000
Promo Director/Producer
Johannesburg R22 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R80 000+
Cape Town R22 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R80 000+
Animator
Johannesburg R14 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R57 000
Cape Town R12 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R45 000
Video Editor
Johannesburg R10 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R48 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000
Multimedia Designer/3D
Johannesburg R13 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R52 000
Cape Town R13 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R45 000
User Experience (UX) Lead
Johannesburg N/A N/A R78 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R65 000+
User Experience (UX) Designer
Johannesburg R18 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R48 000 R48 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
User Interface (UI) Designer
Johannesburg R19 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R44 000 R44 000+
Cape Town R17 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Motion Designer
Johannesburg R20 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R42 000 R42 000+

IT/Tech

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Front-end Developer
Johannesburg R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
Back-end Developer
Johannesburg R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R65 000 R65 000 – R110 000
Cape Town R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R65 000 R65 000 – R110 000
Full-stack Developer
Johannesburg R25 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R125 000
Cape Town R25 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R125 000
Web Developer
Johannesburg R36 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R90 000 R90 000 – R140 000
Cape Town R36 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R90 000 R90 000 – R140 000
Java Developer
Johannesburg R20 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Scrum Master
Johannesburg R25 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R66 000 R66 000 – R150 000
Cape Town R25 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R66 000 R66 000 – R150 000
IT Manager
Johannesburg R32 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Cape Town R32 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Solutions Architect
Johannesburg R30 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Data Engineer
Johannesburg R25 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R85 000 R85 000 – R120 000
Cape Town R25 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R85 000 R85 000 – R120 000
Data Scientist
Johannesburg R30 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R90 000 R90 000 – R125 000
Cape Town R30 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R90 000 R90 000 – R125 000
AI & ML Engineer
Johannesburg R30 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R90 000 R90 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R90 000 R90 000+

Marketing

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Head of Digital Marketing
Johannesburg R55 000 – R66 000 R66 000 – R85 000 R85 000+
Cape Town R45 000 – R58 000 R58 000 – R78 000 R78 000+
Digital Marketing Manager
Johannesburg R35 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
Cape Town R32 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Group Marketing Head
Johannesburg R75 000 – R90 000 R90 000 – R145 000 R145 000+
Cape Town R65 000 – R80 000 R80 000 – R135 000 R135 000+
Marketing Director
Johannesburg R60 000 – R75 000 R75 000 – R90 000 R90 000+
Cape Town R55 000 – R72 000 R72 000 – R82 000 R82 000+
Marketing Manager
Johannesburg R55 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R80 000 R80 000+
Cape Town R52 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Brand Manager
Johannesburg R35 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
E-Commerce Manager
Johannesburg R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Cape Town R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Brand/Marketing Assistant
Johannesburg R25 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R40 000 N/A
Cape Town R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 N/A
Martech (Marketing Technology Specialist)
Johannesburg R38 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Cape Town R35 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R65 000 R65 000+

Corporate Communications

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Communications Manager
Johannesburg R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R68 000 R68 000 – R90 000
Cape Town R25 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R47 000 R47 000 – R75 000
Communications Officer/Consultant
Johannesburg R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R45 000
Cape Town R18 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R41 000

PR Consultancies

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Managing Director
Johannesburg R65 000 – R80 000 R80 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Cape Town R60 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R90 000 R90 000+
Account Director
Johannesburg R38 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R58 000 R58 000+
Cape Town R35 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R50 000 R50 000 +
Account Manager
Johannesburg R28 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R28 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Account Executive
Johannesburg R22 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R28 000 N/A
Cape Town R19 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R28 000 N/A

Media

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Media Sales Director
Johannesburg R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Cape Town R38 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Digital Sales Executive
Johannesburg R30 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R42 000 R42 000+
Media Sales Executive
Johannesburg R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Events Manager
Johannesburg R20 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R40 000 R40 000+



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