Many find working in Cape Town absolute bliss.
A little about working in Cape Town
Having lived in a number of places in South Africa and abroad, I can attest to Cape Town being a lovely place to live. Many local and foreign job seekers ask about Cape Town as a place for employees and expats, and it is without a doubt one of the top spots to stay in South Africa.
This article is not about trying to prove that Cape Town is the “best” city in any way, or that it beats other South African or international cities at anything. It is simply to give a good start to anyone wishing to search jobs in Cape Town, wondering if it is a good place to work (and live).
A well-run city in most respects
Many South Africans will agree that Cape Town is one of the best run cities in the country (the Western Cape holds most of the top spots). Cape Town has the lowest level of poverty (measured by rates of unemployment and access to income) and the highest access to basic services in the country.
That said, for those who are poverty-stricken and poor, there are less services available, something the city is apparently working on. It is assumed for this article that readers are mostly employed, but this is worth noting.
The hard facts
For those who are reading this and wanting to post something about Joburg beating Cape Town, alright, here are some facts about salary. Late in 2016, job aggregator Adzuna compared salaries and found that in broad statistics, the Western Cape listed 22,230 jobs at an average salary of 13% less than Gauteng’s 53,815 jobs. Even more pronounced was the difference of over 18% between the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town. The average of all South Africa’s more than 130,000 positions was R375,786.
In it for the lifestyle
Those living in Johannesburg often quote the pace of a big city, the financial benefits and the cosmopolitan atmosphere, whereas the attraction factors to the Cape are usually cited as non-financial. Capetonians and those in the Western Cape mostly mention their quality of living, a sounder government and the abundance of nature, wine farms and beaches.
Working in Cape Town is fantastic, but it is a personal choice where one stays and works. Rarely does one move to Cape Town just for the position. It is rather that one moves for a certain lifestyle that the city provides and then finds work.
