Women in SA earn on average 25% less than men.

South African digital recruitment platform Giraffe on Tuesday launched its gender pay gap report.

"While the gap is reduced as the level of education increases, it is not eliminated," the survey found. Women with degrees will start off earning 5% less than their male colleagues.

Rising in the ranks is no consolation, either: "Female managers earn 21% less than male managers, doing effectively the same job."

Age is also a factor: the older women get, the larger the pay gap gets.

The gender pay gap starts to widen from the age of 26, with the largest difference at ages 36-44 (33%).

The gender gap varies by industry, with hotels and retail paying women far worse than industries such as transport and IT.

• The most unequal-paying occupations for women are: nurse, salesperson, welder, supervisor, machine operator and waiter
• The most equal-paying occupations for women are: receptionist/PA, admin, shop assistant, data capturer.

Women without a matric are most vulnerable to pay discrimination with an average pay gap of 33%.

Men with limited education have better opportunities (construction, security, warehousing and transport) than women with limited education (hotels, supermarkets and restaurants).

Giraffe said it plans to use the data to promote equal pay within its platform and inform employers on the right salary to attract the best talent.