Mastering niche programming languages are one way developers can increase their earning potential. Go is one of the best-paying languages in South Africa. Here, we look at the average Golang developer salaries by experience in 2022 and how they compare to 2021.
Average junior Golang developer salary trends
Our 2022 State of the Software Developer Nation data shows that average salaries for developers with fewer than two years of experience have declined since 2021.
The shift to remote work is one cause behind the decline in entry-level salaries as fewer companies are hiring and onboarding as many junior and entry-level developers. Additionally, more junior developers are entering the job market, making it harder for less experienced developers to get a foot in the door.
Go developers are no exception to this trend.
Entry-level salaries for Go developers start at R22 500 per month, roughly 13.7% less than in 2021.
Despite the decrease in average salaries, Go remains the best-paying language for entry-level developers in South Africa and gives them a 2.3% edge over high-paying niche languages like Ruby.
Average Go Developer Salary by Experience
| Years of Experience | 25th Percentile | Average | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | R17,500 | R22,500 | R27,500 |
| 2-4 | R27,500 | R37,656 | R42,500 |
| 4-6 | R42,500 | R55,455 | R57,500 |
| 6-10 | R62,500 | R73,618 | R82,500 |
| 10+ | R72,500 | R94,781 | R105,000 |
After coding professionally for at least two years, the average junior Golang developer’s salary increases by 67.4% to R37 656. In 2022, the average junior Go developer’s salary is 9.8% higher than it was in 2021.
Average salaries for mid-level Go developers continue to rise once they pass the four-year experience mark:
When moving from junior to mid-level, Go developers with at least four years of experience can look forward to a 47.3% pay rise. This gives them an average monthly salary of R55 455—10.9% higher than the 2021 average.
Why the steep increases? While they are still finding their feet in the early stages of their careers, developers tend to change jobs more. This gives them a chance to negotiate a higher market-related salary than the inflationary increases developers can expect if they stay with one company.
In addition to this, Go is an increasingly popular but niche programming language. Unfortunately, this means that Golang developers are harder to find, and companies must pay a premium if they want to hire experienced developers with this skill set.
Average senior Golang developer salary trends
Salary growth for Go developers follows a downward trend seen across other programming languages and starts to slow once they reach the senior level. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s no growth at all.
The average senior Golang developer salary increases 32.8% to an average of R73 618 after being in the profession for at least six years. This is 18% higher than the average salary in 2021.
Demand for senior developers is at an all-time high, and experienced Go developers are not easy to find, allowing them to negotiate higher salaries than they were earning this time last year.
Once they pass the ten-year mark, salaries for senior Go developers increase by an additional 28.8%, giving them an average salary of R94 781. This average is 10.1% higher than it was in 2021.
Why the slow-down? In addition to senior developers generally changing jobs less often than juniors, companies tend to be less inclined to offer significant increases on larger salaries.
Average Go Developer Salaries in 2022 vs 2021
| Years of Experience | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | R22,500 | R26,071 |
| 2-4 | R37,656 | R34,295 |
| 4-6 | R55,455 | R50,000 |
| 6-10 | R73,618 | R62,404 |
| 10+ | R94,781 | R86,125 |
Keep in mind
The data in this article is taken from OfferZen’s 2022 State of the Software Developer Nation Report. In this article, ‘salary’ refers to the gross monthly salary (before tax) provided by more than 3200 survey respondents.
Average salaries are single data points and only one part of a bigger story. It’s expected that many respondents may earn significantly more or significantly less than these averages. However, we hope to map underlying trends by mapping the average salaries for different experience levels.
These averages should not be used to estimate what your actual salary will or should be.
Salaries are dependent on the industry, individual, perks and nature of work. These factors all influence the salary a company will offer to a prospective hire. In addition, most developers are “fluent” in several languages, which will affect the final figures.
It’s also important to remember that every individual’s context is different. Ultimately, salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer.
Related resources:
- State of South Africa’s Software Developer Nation
- Underpaid? Here’s How to Make the Most Of Your Next Salary Conversation
- How to Negotiate a Job Offer That’s More Than Just the Money
- Developer Salaries 2021: Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria
- Why South African Junior Software Developers’ Salaries Have Decreased Since 2021
- Backend Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Java Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Front End Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Python Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- PHP Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Full Stack Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Node.js Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- JavaScript Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- React Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Azure Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- TypeScript Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- C# Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Ruby Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Kotlin Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
