Average salaries and wages in the formal, non-agricultural business sector increased by 8,6 percent this year, Statistics South Africa (SSA) said on Wednesday.
Employees in this sector earned an average of R4 649 per month, R369 (8,6 percent) per month more than in February last year, SSA said in a media release.
The real average monthly salaries and wages - set at constant 1995 prices - were R3 485 by February this year, a real annual increase of 6,1 percent.
The only industry which reported a decrease was the transport, storage and communication industry, said Annette Myburgh, chief director of economic statistics and national accounts at SSA.
This was largely due to the retrenchment of highly paid employees in government institutions.
Increases were gained in the other industries: construction; mining and quarrying; financial institutions; wholesale trade; retail trade; the motor trade and hotels; community, social and personal services; electricity; gas and water and manufacturing, she said.
The construction industry reflected the largest annual increase, at 15,4 percent.
Other industries which reflected increases above the total industry average of 8,6 percent were the mining and quarrying industry (13,4 percent), the financial institutions industry (12,8 percent), the wholesale trade, retail trade and hotels industry (12,1 percent), the community, social and personal services industry (10,6 percent) and the electricity, gas and water supply industry (8,9 percent).
The highest average monthly ordinary time hours paid per employee for February this year was reported by the wholesale trade, retail trade and motor trade and hotels industry.
This was for full-time employees (184,7 hours per employee) and the electricity and gas and water supply industries for part-time employees (109 hours per employee).
The highest average overtime paid per employee for February this year was reported by the transport, storage and communication industry for full-time employees (17,5 hours per employee) and the manufacturing industry for part-time employees (6 hours per employee). - Sapa