White men in Gauteng get the most cash

According to Statistics SA information that the SAIRR analysed, white men, working in the community and social services sectors, (including government), have skilled jobs, belong to a union, and are aged between 55 and 64.

"On average the lowest paid employees are African women living in Limpopo, working in private households, not belonging to a union, and aged between 15 and 24," SAIRR's SA Survey found.

The institute said that in 2011, the median monthly salary for African workers was R2,380, for coloured workers R3,030, for Indian workers R6,800, and for white workers R10,000.

The institute said this meant that median wages of white earners were nearly four times higher than those of African skilled workers and almost six times as high as those of unskilled employees. Salaries paid to unionised employees were about twice as high as those of non-unionised workers".

Georgina Alexander, a researcher at the Institute, said in a statement: "It must be noted, however, that it takes into account those who earn salaries only. The largest and most enduring inequality in South Africa is between those who are employed and those who are not," she said.

For the study, earnings were assessed using the median monthly income of employed people in both the formal and the informal sector broken down in various ways, including race, sex, province, and age. The median is the level that divides the relevant segment of the working population in half, meaning that half earns less than the median and the other half earns more.

Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge