South Africa’s net (take-home) salaries are falling, reaching a two-year low as inflation continues to outpace salary growth. According to reporting based on PayInc’s latest findings, real earnings decline because pay increases do not keep up with higher prices, leaving workers with less purchasing power than before. The Citizen reports that net pay drops to around R21,000, while emphasizing that the decline reflects a broader problem of real wages falling amid rising inflation. IOL similarly links the deterioration in take-home pay to inflation pressure that reduces consumers’ ability to afford essentials and maintain living standards. Both sources describe a weakening trend in real net salaries and frame it as an ongoing effect of persistent inflation and economic uncertainty. Taken together, the coverage indicates that the impact is measured in real terms—after accounting for inflation—rather than only in nominal salary levels.