SEEK reveals Australia’s top 20 highest paying industries

Today, SEEK, Australia's number one employment marketplace, announces Australia’s highest paying industries and jobs across the country.

The data which ranks the average advertised salaries across 28 industries, reveals Mining, Resources & Energy as the industry to be the most lucrative for Australian workers. The data shows the highest average advertised salary across the country for this industry is $116,108 per annum. This sector has consistently been a top performer in the salary stakes, topping SEEK’s Annual Salary ranking as the highest paying industry for the sixth year running.

The top 5 paying industries with the highest average advertised salary:

  • Mining, Resources & Energy: $116,108
  • Consulting & Strategy: $110,045
  • Construction: $109,325
  • Engineering: $105,810
  • Information & Communication Technology: $104,874

The industries with the lowest average advertise salaries:

  • Sport & Recreation: $65,900
  • Hospitality & Tourism: $61,944
  • Retail & Consumer Products: $60,704
  • Call Centre & Customer Service: $58,942
  • Administration & Office Support: $58,671

Kendra Banks, Managing Director of SEEK ANZ, said: “With recent reports showing confidence slowly returning to the sector, it’s no surprise that Mining, Resources & Energy salaries are managing to maintain the top spot in this year’s SEEK Annual Salary rankings. Despite this ranking, average advertised salaries are well below the level they were at five years ago, with the sector posting the biggest decline in average advertised salaries over the last five years and many of the major mining roles absent from the list of top salaries.”

The industries with the greatest change in average advertised salary over a five year period are:

Most significant increase in salary:

  1. Education & Training: 19.15%
  2. Community Services & Development: 16.06%
  3. Design & Architecture: 15.78%
  4. Administration & Office Support: 13.64%
  5. Real Estate & Property: 13.60 %

Most significant decrease in salary:

  1. Mining, Resources & Energy: -13.96%
  2. Engineering: -6.91%
  3. Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics: -2.27%
  4. Construction: -1.77%
  5. Science & Technology -0.94%

Looking at Australia’s top 20 highest paying jobs over the last five years, there has been a notable shift in the industries that dominate the rankings.

In 2013, Mining, Resources & Energy dominated the rankings, offering 13 of the top 20 highest paying jobs. This figure has dropped significantly to just two salaries in the top 20 in 2018. Today, the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) industry dominates, with salaries from six roles within the industry featuring in the top 20.

The top five highest salaries in 2018 are as follows:

  1. Information & Communication Technology - Architects: $138,144
  2. Engineering - Management: $133,927
  3. Information & Communication Technology Management: $132,307
  4. Mining, Resources & Energy - Management: $131,462
  5. Legal - Generalists, In-house: $128,988

ICT is performing strongly, growing by 7.3%, with the average salary climbing from $97,700 to $104,800 in five years.

The top paying ICT jobs are:

  1. Information & Communication Technology - Architects: $138,144
  2. Information & Communication Technology - Management: $132,307
  3. Information & Communication Technology - Security: $122,753
  4. Information & Communication Technology - Product Management & Development: $120,740
  5. Information & Communication Technology - Product Management & Development: $120,554
  6. Information & Communication Technology - Team Leaders: $ 119,078

Kendra Banks, Managing Director at SEEK ANZ said: “What we are seeing is that candidates in information and communication technology are more motivated by salary and compensation than those in any other industry. Other factors that are of importance when considering roles within ICT are work-life balance and career development opportunities. We expect to see salaries for ICT roles continue to strengthen across every sector in the coming years.”

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Additional information
 
Table 1. Salary movements across a 5 year period

About SEEK (ASX:SEK)
 
SEEK’s purpose is to help people live more fulfilling and productive working lives and help organisations succeed. SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives on a global scale. 

SEEK is the global leader in the creation and operation of online employment markets. Globally SEEK has relationships with over 800,000 hirers and 180 million candidates. 

SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives through connecting more people to relevant job opportunities using its marketplace scale and technology to build radically more efficient and effective employment marketplaces. 

SEEK is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, and has been listed in the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies Globally by Forbes, and Number One in Australia. 

SEEK has been recognised by AON Hewitt as an Employer of Choice ten years straight and is passionate about it’s company's culture. SEEK is a leader in workplace diversity and inclusion.  

For 20 years SEEK has been an integral part of Australians’ job-search process, and as the country’s leading employment marketplace is uniquely positioned to empower Australians with career, education and volunteer opportunities to create productive and fulfilling working lives.