Our 2022 State of the Software Developer Nation report shows that 1 in 3 South African developers lists Node.js as their primary development framework. This makes it the most widely used framework in South Africa. Here’s an overview of average Node.js developer salaries by experience.
Average junior Node.js developer salary trends
Average Node.js Developer Salaries
Average salaries for entry-level Node.js developers begin at R18 515. After two years in the profession, salaries for junior Node.js developers rise by 56.4% to an average of R28 951.
Their rapid salary growth continues at the 4-6 year experience mark when salaries for mid-level Node.js increase by 56.6% to R45 344.
A junior Node.js developer’s salary more than doubles by the time they’ve been on the job for over four years.
Node.js developers are not alone with steep salary increases during the early stages of their careers. Why do salaries for junior Node.js developers increase so rapidly? While they are still finding their feet in the early stages of their careers, developers tend to change jobs a lot 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.
Depending on how much they’ve progressed, they might also quickly level up their skills to a mid-level developer. Companies hiring developers at these career stages are more inclined to offer what might seem a significant increase because the salary range is still not that high.
Average senior Node.js developer salary trends
Salary growth for Node.js developers begins to slow once they become seniors. However, that’s not to say that there’s no growth.
Node.js developers with 6-10 years of experience can expect a 36.2% pay rise, giving them an average monthly salary of R61 761. Salaries for senior Node.js developers with more than ten years of experience increase by 37% to an average of R84 574. This gives them a 6% edge over the average JavaScript developer.
Why the slow-down? In addition to senior developers generally changing jobs less often than juniors, companies also have to start thinking more about salary increases as a developer’s salary level becomes “more expensive”.
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. Salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer.
Related resources:
- 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
- Javascript Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Full Stack Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- 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
- State of South Africa’s Software Developer Nation
