Average Salary in Namibia

Table of Contents

Namibia’s Average Hourly Wage

Namibia’s average hourly salary (pay per hour) is 100 NAD. The minimum allowable wage is 70 NAD per hour, and the maximum allowable wage is 400 NAD per hour.

The average worker earns about 48,000 NAD per year. For one person living alone, the poverty line is set at 24,437 per year and for a family of 5, the poverty line is set at 108,436 NAD per year.

How much money does a Namibian worker earn?

The average monthly salary for a Namibian worker is around 17,400 NAD. This is about 340 USD.

This amount of money can be spent on food, water, clothing, rent/mortgage, electricity and other bills. However, the cost of living in Namibia is high with consumer prices being 24% more expensive than they are worldwide.

It also takes a long time to save up for something like a house- an average worker would have to work at least 43 years to afford one!

Comparing Salaries Based on Years of Experience in Namibia

How does an individual’s income increase over time?

The answers differ widely based on the person in question, their job, and how long they have been working. For example, a doctor who graduated from medical school three years ago makes a much different income if compared to someone who has been practicing for ten years.

Furthermore, this person will make much more than the doctor if he is doing his first year of residency because he/she doesn’t have any patients yet.

How much money one makes also depends on age groups that are deemed as lower or higher earning brackets. Data released by Statistics Namibia reveals that people between 25-34 years old are making much less wages than those between 45-54 years old. Generally, people below 18 didn’t make any money at all.

Salaries tend to increase with experience in the same field, but this isn’t always the case. Income increases over time because there is more responsibility given within the job description itself.

Salary Comparisons Between the Public and Private Sectors

Namibian workers in private and public sectors are paid different salaries for doing the same job.

Public sector employees are paid more than private-sector workers, but there is no difference in qualifications or experience between these two sectors.

For example, a chief accountant in the public service earns about 18,000 NAD, whereas a chief accountant doing the same job in the private sector earns about 13,000 NAD.

Comparing Gender-Specific Salary in Namibia

Male workers in Namibia earn an average of 5% more than female employees across all industries. Although Namibia has made great strides in gender equality, women are still facing difficulties when it comes to earning wages

According to the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) conducted by the National Planning Commission (NPC), males in Namibia earn an average salary of NAD 228,438 per year, while the average salary for females is NAD 217,275. The countries top-ten highest-paid employees all consist of male workers.

This high gender gap in employment salaries reflects the country’s low labor force participation and large number working part-time or having a second job.

Average Salary Increase Rates by Level of Experience in Namibia

The disparity in increment rates is explained in part because companies make a greater effort to keep more experienced employees since they are more difficult to obtain than less experienced employees.

In addition, companies experience higher costs with the increased salaries of more senior employees. Therefore, employers try to provide a moderate increase in salary to retain their most valuable human resources.

On average, an individual with less than 5 years’ experience can expect a salary increase of roughly 10% once they have mastered a skill and are able to perform it very well.

An individual with years of experience is likely to be given around 7% raise for that year. Recent graduates have lower expectations since their starting salary is considerably lower than that received by individuals who have been working for many years as per standard Namibian labour laws.

In line with this trend, those who work as assistants typically receive low rates of increment as they make up the majority of new graduates and new employees.

However, the highest average salary increases were recorded for managers who received an increase of around 10%. This can be partly explained by the fact that this group is also the largest in size

It was noted that newcomers or individuals who have been working for less than three years usually receive a raise depending on their performance in favour of receiving lower or higher increments.

In addition, it has been suggested that companies hire fewer individuals when entering into a period of economic slowdown as per Namibian labour laws.

Salary Comparisons According to Education

How does your degree of education affect your salary?

Salary changes as a result of schooling vary significantly by geography and also by the professional sector. Employees with a certificate or degree earn an average of 17% more than those with merely a high school education.

In Namibia, a person with a professional degree can expect a salary of about N$7,936 per month. This is more than double the average wage in Zimbabwe. In the USA, however, people earning a professional degree have lower salaries compared to those who have only a high school diploma.

In Namibia, employees working toward an undergraduate degree start on an average annual salary of about NAD 5,153 while those with a vocational or trade certificate earn NAD 3,246 per year on average.

Graduates of Bachelor courses make between NAD 4,500 and about NAD 6,000 monthly depending on their level of education and whether they are undertaking a postgraduate course.

Those earning these wages will likely receive increments during their careers that increase overall pay by about 4% to 7%.

Is it worthwhile to get a Master’s degree or an MBA? Should you continue your education in Namibia?

Pursuing a Master’s degree in Namibia will teach you a lot and give you an edge over other candidates applying for the same job.

Being able to bag a postgraduate degree even if it is in your home country, will definitely help you get that promotion with better pay.

On the other hand, getting an MBA in Namibia is not such a good idea unless you know exactly what direction you want to take your career towards.

If your work experience is still fresh and you are looking to switch careers or add specializations then this is the right time when pursuing an MBA is beneficial enough because it widens the scope of opportunities available for you and gives you more control in choosing which field interests you most.

Namibia’s Average Annual Salary Increase Percentage

How much do yearly wage increases cost? How often do workers get compensation increases?

Namibian employees are expected to have a wage boost of roughly 4% every 29 months. This is one of the highest wage increases in Africa, as well as on a global scale.

Namibian employees are expected to have a wage boost of roughly 4% every 29 months. This is one of the highest wage increases in Africa, as well as on a global scale

According to data from Salary Expert’s 2018 salary guide, Namibia’s average salary growth rate is pegged at an estimated 8.5%.

The Professional Employment Report for 2017 shows that this figure has increased by nearly 3%, which can be attributed to more people entering the workforce with both higher qualifications and higher salaries flowing into the banking system.

Annual Growth Rates by Sector in

Businesses operating in strong sectors often grant larger and more regular increases. While exceptions occur, the economic status of each corporation is inextricably linked to the economic state of the nation or area. These data are subject to change on a regular basis.

Banking – 5%
Education 8%
Government/Public Administration – 3%
Health Care and Social Assistance – 4.3%
Construction – 6.5%
Retail Trade – 3.18%
Electricity, Gas And Water Supply – 1.8%

Namibian Bonus and Incentives Rates

How much and how often are bonuses given?

Namibian workers receive bonuses as a form of incentive to provide extra motivation for them to perform well.

Although, there are no laws that regulate the periodicity and amount of the bonus payout other than the Namibian labour law which states that a worker can be entitled to a bonus if “the employment contract provides for one or more types of work performance incentives”.

Incentives usually come in two forms, non-monetary and monetary incentives. Non-monetary incentives include days off from work or flexible working hours whereas monetary incentives can include salary increases, gifts or even cash bonuses.

Various Types of Bonus

Bonuses for Individual Performance

Individual bonuses are used as monetary rewards for employees whose performance is above and beyond what is required. Often, these bonuses can be earned for either one-time accomplishments or over the course of a long-term project.

This aligns with how individuals work because members of an organization or company typically have different strengths and weaknesses, which means there will always be certain activities that they perform more effectively than others.

In order to determine if an individual should receive a bonus, companies look at several factors such as skills, value, output, and time.

In some cases, it is easy to measure someone’s value to a project or organization through paperwork and other tangible materials submitted by employees.

Bonuses for Company Performance

This type of bonus is given to employees to motivate them, as well as increase recognition of the worker’s effort. This would encourage company loyalty and productivity.

Bonuses are usually based on how well the business has done within a given time frame, which is usually quarterly or yearly. The more money earned by the company during this period would mean that there are greater bonuses for all workers involved.

Bonuses for Company Performance have been known to produce mixed results in terms of performance improvements due to its subjective nature.

Every quarter or year could be different for each individual employee so previous good work awards might not guarantee future success with earning incentives every month or week.

Bonuses Based on Performance

This type of bonus is granted if you have achieved a milestone or if you have done something good. It is usually given after a year of work, which means that you are expected to complete one year of work first before receiving the bonus.

One reason for giving bonuses based on performance is because it keeps the employees motivated to do more and better since they can get incentives if they do well.

This means that the company will not only maintain but also improve their standards every day, which will push them towards success.

Another advantage of this type of bonus is that it makes people think twice about what they are doing at work. It kindles enthusiasm and encourages you to be productive because your hard work will not go unappreciated.

Holiday / Year-End Bonuses

These are financial incentives given by many businesses to employees in order to increase their morale and productivity during the holiday season.

It is an opportunity for workers who have worked hard all year round to be rewarded with either cash or prizes in addition to their usual salary.

Comparing Bonus Rates by Career Field

What qualifies a job as deserving of substantial incentives and a high salary in Namibia?

We looked at the median bonus rates for different career fields to determine whether these professionals are more or less likely to receive a bonus than their peers. There are several factors that go into determining if someone is eligible for a performance-based incentive, including industry and the size of the company.

The results showed that some fields are statistically more likely to have higher bonus rates than others. For example, Managers in the Mining Industry had the highest bonus rate of 52% on average. Meanwhile, Farmers had an average bonus rate of 3%.

The type of company also affected whether employees received bonuses – workers in companies with more than 100 people were 28% more likely to get bonuses than those who worked at smaller firms.

Here are some career fields that provide high, moderate, and low bonus rates in Namibia:

Sales – High
Insurance – Moderate
Transport – Low
Human Resources – Moderate
Healthcare – Moderate
Architecture – High
Science – High
Cooperative Development – Low
Marketing – Moderate
Computer Science – Low
Education – High
Finance/Accounting – High
Construction Management – Moderate
Information Technology – Low

Comparison of Bonuses by Seniority Level

Senior workers in Namibia receive a higher percentage of their salary in bonuses compared to junior workers. Senior managers receive a median bonus of three times the size of an entry-level worker’s, while senior staff may receive up to seven times more.

The common type of bonus received by employees is the 13th cheque which companies issue during December every year if they have been profitable throughout the year prior.

In certain companies, where employees are dedicated and put in extra hours at work, they can receive a promotion with a substantial increase in salary and benefits.

Another way in which individuals can earn additional income is through commission for satisfactory performance or production levels reached. The average monthly earning from this source is between NAD 500 and NAD 700 a month.

Salary Levels for Popular Job Titles

Administration / Reception / Secretarial

Administrative Assistant – 8,980 NAD
Office Manager – 15,400 NAD
Receptionist – 8,070 NAD
Secretary – 7,950 NAD

Architecture

Architect – 20,000 NAD
CAD Drafter – 8,480 NAD

Banking

Bank Branch Manager – 31,300 NAD
Teller – 6,650 NAD

Bookkeeping / Accounting

Accountant I – 8,330 NAD
Accountant II – 11,100 NAD
Accountant III – 14,200 NAD
Chief Accountant – 21,000 NAD
Payroll Officer – 8.660NAD

Computer / IT

Computer Hardware Technician – 11,300 NAD
IT Assistant Manager – 32,000 NAD
Database Administrator – 15,100 NAD
Software Developer – 22,500 NAD
Computer Network Engineer I – 9,500 NAD
Network Systems Administrator I – 8.200NAD
Network Systems Engineer I – 12,300 NAD
Computer Operator I – 5,850NAD
Telecommunications Engineer II – 11,700NAD

Medical Field

Medical Laboratory Technician – 8,270 NAD
Doctor – 24.000NAD
Pharmacist – 11,700 NAD
Nursing Officer – 7,500 NAD

Teacher / Education / Training

Primary Teacher (Grade 1-7) – 9,650 NAD
Secondary School Teacher (Grade 10-12) – 14,900 NAD
Career Counselor – 5,800NAD
Tutor (Private) – 1250 NAD

Namibia’s Salary Distribution

Salary Range

Monthly salaries start at 4,410 NAD. This is the low end of the salary range in Namibia. The high end of the salary range is 19,500 NAD per month.

The lowest-paid profession salaries are recorded in the agriculture field, where professional salaries start at 8,412 NAD per month. The highest-paid professionals are in managerial positions, with salaries starting around 14,000 NAD monthly.

Median Wage

The median wage is 17,400 NAD per month, which implies that half of the population earns less than that, while the other half earns more. The median household income is 7,500 NAD per month. The average number of persons per household is 4.8.

The main source of livelihood for Namibians is employment (84%), self-employment (5%) and business activity (11%).

Percentiles

Over 9,840 NAD is earned by 25% of the population. 75% of the population are earning an average of 19,000 NAD.

How much does the median pay vary from the average salary?

If your wage is more than the average and median, you are doing quite well. In Namibia, the median salary was around 14 million Namibian dollars a year since 2010.

It would be easy to think that this number is significantly above the average wage of 10 million NAD per year due to a few high paid jobs pulling up the numbers, but the median is actually slightly below average.