Australia's highest-paying jobs: 2018 vs 2013

Australia's highest-paying jobs: 2018 vs 2013
SEEK content teamupdated on 02 June, 2020
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Do you have one of the highest-paid jobs in Australia and are the salaries in your industry on the rise? To help answer these questions, we’ve looked at the top 20 highest-paying roles on SEEK this year versus 2013 and compared the average salary data for all industries over this five-year period.

Mining makes way for technology

Australia’s mining boom had a clear impact on SEEK’s top 20 highest-paying jobs in 2013. Roles in Mining, Resources & Energy took out the top six places on the list and the highest-paying role for the year was Mining - Exploration & Geoscience ($146,596).

However, a lot can happen in five years. The mining boom has stabilised, and digital transformation is now reshaping the Australian economy.

SEEK’s top 20 highest-paying jobs list has changed shape over the past five years due to factors such as a decline in mining and the growing influence of digital transformation.

The highest-paying role on SEEK this year is Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Architects ($138,144) – the people who design and plan the technology solutions to meet strategic objectives. ICT architects are not just technical experts, they also have a strong business understanding and great stakeholder management skills.

Qamram Somjee, Practice Leader, Projects and Technology at Davidson Recruitment, says employers are willing to pay a premium for these important strategic roles. “This type of strategic mindset and understanding of an organisation’s disparate systems means ICT architects often come from cross-functional project backgrounds.

Click the tabs below to compare the highest-paying jobs in 2018 versus 2013: 
 

  • View 2013
  • View 2018
Rank
Industry
Role type
2013 salary
1 Mining, Resources & Energy Mining - Exploration & Geoscience $146,596
2 Mining, Resources & Energy Management $142,886
3 Mining, Resources & Energy Mining - Engineering Maintenance $142,769
4 Mining, Resources & Energy Oil & Gas - Exploration & Geoscience $139,990
5 Mining, Resources & Energy Oil & Gas - Engineering & Maintenance $137,816
6 Mining, Resources & Energy Oil & Gas - Drilling $136,271
7 Engineering Management $135,274
8 Mining, Resources & Energy Surveying $134,566
9 Information & Communication Technology Architects $134,547
10 Mining, Resources & Energy Mining - Drill & Blast $132,725
11 Mining, Resources & Energy Mining - Processing $131,762
12 Mining, Resources & Energy Mining - Operations $130,657
13 Engineering Project Management $128,086
14 Mining, Resources & Energy Oil & Gas - Production & Refinement $127,510
15 Information & Communication Technology Management $127,411
16 Mining, Resources & Energy Oil & Gas - Operations $127,223
17 Engineering Process Engineering $126,792
18 Construction Project Management $126,699
19 Construction Management $126,423
20 Mining, Resources & Energy Health, Safety & Environment $125,777

Source: SEEK Salary Report, July 2012 - June 2013 vs July 2011 - June 2012

 

ICT Management roles are also attracting a higher salary today than five years earlier. While they were at number 15 on the list in 2013 ($127,411), they are now at number three ($132,307). “As companies are making a greater investment in IT infrastructure, they need the best managers to ensure that it all runs smoothly,” says Andrew Brushfield, Director at Robert Half. “They are now willing to pay more for highly skilled IT managers.”

Other notable changes to SEEK’s highest paying jobs list include the addition of two accounting roles. Strategy & Planning and Financial Managers & Controllers did not appear in the top 20 list in 2013, however, they came in at numbers six ($128,373) and seven ($126,906) respectively this year.

“As companies are making greater investment in IT infrastructure, they need the best managers to ensure that it all runs smoothly,” says Andrew Brushfield, Director at Robert Half. “They are now willing to pay more for highly skilled IT managers.”

Brushfield says the rise of data science is placing a greater focus on strategic accounting skills today. “Candidates for strategic roles are expected to analyse data and communicate its impact to the broader business,” he explains. “Strategy is less predictable and therefore unlikely to be affected by automation. Highly skilled financial managers are also sought after as companies are now looking to drive greater efficiencies across their business.”

Trends across the industries

The mining boom may be over, but the Mining, Resources & Energy industry still took out the top position on the highest-paying industry list in 2018. It also led the way in 2013, but there has been a 13.96% decline in average advertised salaries ($116,108 in 2018 versus $134,954 in 2013).

Donna Ison, Principal Consultant at Davidson Recruitment, predicts salaries across the industry will remain steady. “Mining salaries will stay fairly stable, but management roles in mining will always command high salaries due to the criticality of this role to the success of a business.”

Meanwhile, industries such as Education & Training experienced a 19.15% lift in salaries over the five-year period ($69,238 in 2018 versus $82,498 today). Alex Jones, Regional Director for Hays Education, says this is led by expanding pay packets in early childhood education. He explains that a lack of qualified early childhood teachers means employers are willing to pay more for quality talent.

Recent regulations have also changed the maximum students-per-teacher ratio, which has increased the demand for educators. “This has led to more early childhood teachers negotiating a higher salary, which providers are willing to provide to secure the best talent,” says Jones.

The Real Estate & Property industry also experienced a 13.6% jump in salaries over the past five years ($66,108 in 2013 versus $75,100 in 2018). Adrian Oldham, Managing Director Michael Page Australia, says this growth is in line with industry expansion. “Property has grown as a result of various factors, including Australia’s rising population and increased demand for residential property in Melbourne and Sydney,” he says.

Scroll through the table below to reveal average industry salaries in Australia

Average salary by industry: 2013 vs 2018
Industry
2013 
2018  
+/- %
Accounting $81,597 $84,559 3.63%
Administration & Office Support $51,627 $58,671 13.64%
Advertising, Arts & Media $73,819 $76,342 3.42%
Banking & Financial Services $82,731 $91,516 10.62%
Call Centre & Customer Service $52,750 $58,942 11.74%
Community Services & Development $63,494 $73,691 16.06%
Construction $111,292 $109,325 -1.77%
Consulting & Strategy $110,433 $110,045 -0.35%
Design & Architecture $71,737 $83,055 15.78%
Education & Training $69,238 $82,498 19.15%
Engineering $113,667 $105,810 -6.91%
Farming, Animals & Conservation $67,602 $74,933 10.84%
Government & Defence $81,974 $91,377 11.47%
Healthcare & Medical $83,076 $88,722 6.80%
Hospitality & Tourism $55,090 $61,944 12.44%
Human Resources & Recruitment $85,729 $85,143 -0.68%
Information & Communication Technology $97,733 $104,874 7.31%
Insurance & Superannuation $75,879 $85,963 13.29%
Legal $94,841 $95,870 1.09%
Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics $73,358 $71,696 -2.27%
Marketing & Communications $84,661 $87,750 3.65%
Mining, Resources & Energy $134,954 $116,108 -13.96%
Real Estate & Property $66,108 $75,100 13.60%
Retail & Consumer Products $55,558 $60,704 9.26%
Sales $80,859 $82,448 1.96%
Science & Technology $89,640 $88,796 -0.94%
Sport & Recreation $60,551 $65,900 8.83%
Trades & Services $64,273 $65,962 2.63%
Average salary  $82,793 $83,778 1.2%

SEEK’s top 20 highest-paying jobs list has changed shape over the past five years due to factors such as a decline in mining and the growing influence of digital transformation. How will it look in five years from now? We’ll be watching how the market moves.

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Source: SEEK Salary Report, July 2012 – June 2013 vs July 2011 – June 2012 compared to July 2017 - June 2018 vs July 2016 – June 2017

 

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