Salary Levels and OSD Explained: Understanding Public Service Pay Scales

Government job adverts almost always include a line like “Salary Level 9” — or, for certain professions, a reference to “OSD” instead. Neither term is explained on the advert itself, which leaves a lot of applicants unsure of what they’re actually applying for in terms of pay and career structure. Here’s what each system means, and how to tell which one applies to the post you’re looking at.

The Standard Salary Level System

Most general administrative and management posts in the public service are paid according to a single structure with 16 salary levels, where Level 1 is the lowest and Level 16 is the most senior. Levels 1 to 12 are negotiated through the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC), while Levels 13 to 16 — the Senior Management Service (SMS) — are dealt with separately, often via Cabinet, and increasingly structured as Total Cost-to-Employer packages rather than a basic salary plus separate allowances.

As a rough guide, salary levels generally correspond to seniority as follows:

This is a general guide rather than a fixed rule — exact placement can vary somewhat between departments depending on the specific post’s grading. If you want the precise figure for a level, the relevant DPSA cost-of-living adjustment circular (issued annually) contains the full notch tables, or your HR contact for that specific post can confirm it.

What Is OSD (Occupation Specific Dispensation)?

OSD stands for Occupation Specific Dispensation — a separate pay and grading structure created for specific professions whose career paths don’t fit neatly into the standard 16-level system. It was introduced from 2007 onward specifically to help government retain skilled professionals by allowing them to progress and earn competitively without having to move into a management role just to get a higher salary. Instead, OSD professions have their own grading structure (often labelled “Grade 1,” “Grade 2,” and so on) tied to experience, qualifications, and performance within their specific field.

Which Professions Use OSD Instead of Standard Salary Levels

Rather than seeing “Salary Level 9,” job adverts for these professions will usually show a grade specific to that occupation:

• Nurses — Grades 1 to 3, plus separate nursing management grades
• Doctors and medical specialists — their own OSD structure, along with dentists, pharmacists, and emergency care practitioners
• Social workers — Grades 1 to 4, under a dispensation tied to registration with the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP)
• Educators — under the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) scale, a related but separate system from the standard DPSA structure
• Legal professionals — state advocates, prosecutors, and state attorneys
• SAPS members — their own structure running from Constable through to National Commissioner
• SANDF members — a separate military dispensation
• Correctional Services officers — their own OSD grading, Grade 1 to 4
• Scientists and engineers — separate professional and technical grading structures

How to Tell Which System Applies to a Post You’re Looking At

A quick way to check: if the advert lists a generic title like “Administrative Officer,” “Assistant Director,” or “Deputy Director,” it almost certainly falls under the standard Salary Level system. If the post is for a registered profession — nursing, social work, medicine, engineering, policing, or similar — it’s very likely graded under that profession’s specific OSD instead, and the advert will usually show this as a grade (e.g. “Social Worker Grade 1”) rather than a salary level number.

A Note on Notches

Within both systems, employees progress through salary notches — incremental increases awarded based on years of service and performance, separate from being promoted to a higher level or grade. This is why two people on the same salary level or OSD grade, with different years of experience, can be earning noticeably different amounts even though their job title and level are identical.

Frequently Asked Questions

What salary level is an Assistant Director? Assistant Director posts are generally graded at Salary Level 9 or 10, though exact placement can vary by department and specific post.

Why do some job adverts say “OSD” instead of a salary level? This means the post falls under a profession-specific pay structure — common for nurses, doctors, social workers, legal professionals, and uniformed services — rather than the standard 16-level system used for general administrative and management posts.

Are OSD salaries higher or lower than standard salary levels? Neither, by design — OSD was created so that specialist professionals could earn competitively within their field without needing to move into management, rather than to pay more or less than the standard structure overall.

Where can I find the exact salary for a specific level or grade? The relevant DPSA cost-of-living adjustment circular, issued annually, contains full notch tables. Your prospective department’s HR contact can also confirm the specific figure for a post you’re applying for.

Now that you understand the pay structure, make sure the rest of your application is solid — read our Z83 form guide, or go back to our Complete Guide to Applying for Government Jobs in South Africa.