These Are The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs In Australia Right Now
— 3 November 2022

These Are The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs In Australia Right Now

— 3 November 2022
Garry Lu
WORDS BY
Garry Lu

In addition to releasing data outlining the country’s highest-earning postcodes, the Australian Taxation Office has published data revealing the highest-paying jobs in Australia for 2022.

As you’ll have probably guessed, medical professionals and engineers absolutely dominate the list – with the former securing first, second, third, fifth, and sixth place; while the latter landed in eighth and ninth. Surprisingly, cyber security and risk management (actuarial roles) seem to have fallen out of the Top 10 since the last edition.

Here’s a list of high-paying jobs you should probably consider for monetary reasons if nothing else, according to ATO FY19/20 average income statistics (with FY22/23 income tax rates applied for reference).

RELATED: The Companies Paying Aussie Graduates Big Bucks (And The Ones That Aren’t)

The Highest-Paying Jobs In Australia For 2022 [ATO Rankings]

1. Surgeon

Average taxable income: $406,068
Average take-home income: $244,549
Number of individuals in Australia: 4,159

Surgeons have occupied the throne for several years now, raking in an average of $406,068 a year or approximately $4,703 per week after tax as Australia’s highest-paid occupation. No mysteries here regarding why scalpel jockeys make the big bucks. Lives – and vanity – literally depend on ’em.

The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs In Australia Right Now (2022) - Surgeon

2. Anaesthetist

Average taxable income: $388,814
Average take-home income: $235,405
Number of individuals in Australia: 3,509

Given the relationship between their day-to-day duties and that of surgeons, anaesthetists follow closely in second place, earning an average of $388,814 a year or approximately $4,527 per week after tax.

3. Internal Medicine Specialists

Average taxable income: $310,848
Average take-home income: $194,083
Number of individuals in Australia: 9,906

Coming in third place are internal medicine specialists, who earn an average of $310,848 per year or approximately $3,732 per week after tax.

Now keep in mind there’s a bit of diversity within this cohort, ranging from gigs as specialist physicians, cardiologists, endocrinologists, and neurologists, to paediatricians – meaning income will vary depending on the practitioner’s further training/specialist training, i.e. average taxable income for a cardiologist: $464,243 vs average taxable income for an endocrinologist: $257,975.

4. Financial Dealer

Average taxable income: $279,790
Average take-home income: $177,622
Number of individuals in Australia: 4,754

Breaking away from the medical field, we arrive at the next highest-paying industry: financial services. Financial dealers (i.e brokers) earn an average of $279,790 or approximately $3,416 per week after tax.

The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs In Australia Right Now (2022) - Financial Dealer

5. Psychiatrist

Average taxable income: $252,691
Average take-home income: $163,260
Number of individuals in Australia: 3,030

Psychiatrists earn an average of $252,691 or approximately $3,140 per week after tax. Currently, the government anticipates a “significant shortage” of them by 2030. Perhaps this could be combated by upping the psychiatrist average salary across the board.

6. Other Medical Practitioners

Average taxable income: $232,903
Average take-home income: $152,772
Number of individuals in Australia: 28,696

From dermatologists to gynaecologists, pathologists to radiation oncologists, once again, we’re dealing with a range here. The collective average salary for other medical practitioners is $232,903 or approximately $2,938 per week after tax.

Average taxable income: $189,538
Average take-home income: $129,789
Number of individuals in Australia: 3,940

Judicial and other legal professionals earn an average of $189,538 or approximately $2,496 per week after tax. Similar to internal medicine specialists and other medical practitioners, the actual take-home will depend on factors such as whether you complete practical legal training post-university education, but not local law society membership or law firm placement because – for some strange reason – the ATO has chosen to include clerks in this category while excluding barristers and solicitors.

The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs In Australia Right Now (2022) - Judicial Or Other Legal Professionals

8. Mining Engineer

Average taxable income: $188,083
Average take-home income: $129,017
Number of individuals in Australia: 9,120

Mining engineer average salary — $188,083 or approximately $2,481 per week after tax. Different technical aspects of roles within this subset, like being a petroleum mining engineer, will bump that figure up ($196,156 in this specific example).

9. Engineering Managers

Average taxable income: $161,514
Average take-home income: $113,457
Number of individuals in Australia: 25,728

Engineering managers earn an average of $161,514 or approximately $2,182 per week after tax.

10. Financial Investment Adviser Or Manager

Average taxable income: $155,882
Average take-home income: $110,021
Number of individuals in Australia: 20,679

Finally, we have financial advisers and financial investment managers. On average, they earn a taxable income of $155,882 or approximately $2,116 per week after tax. Financial advisers pocket $119,606 annually, while financial investment managers rake in $331,812.

Further Insights Courtesy Of The ATO…

Average Australian Salary By Gender & Sector

Male

Average weekly earnings: $2,025.20 (Public) | $1,812.30 (Private)
Average salary: $105,310 (Public) | $94,240 (Private)

Female

Average weekly earnings: $1,799.30 (Public) | $1,504.80 (Private)
Average salary: $93,564 (Public) | $78,250 (Private)

Average Australian Salary
Average Australian Salary

Average Australian Salary By State & Territories

  • New South Wales
    Average weekly earnings: $1,848.10 (Male) | $1,627.20 (Female)
    Average salary: $96,101 (Male) | $84,614 (Female)
  • Victoria
    Average weekly earnings: $1,862.40 (Male) | $1,596.60 (Female)
    Average salary: $96,845 (Male) | $83,023 (Female)
  • Queensland
    Average weekly earnings: $1,780.20 (Male) | $1,498.50 (Female)
    Average salary: $92,570 (Male) | $77,922 (Female)
  • South Australia
    Average weekly earnings: $1,633.40 (Male) | $1,511.40 (Female)
    Average salary: $84,937 (Male) | $78,592 (Female)
  • Western Australia
    Average weekly earnings: $2,045.90 (Male) | $1,611.60 (Female)
    Average salary: $106,387 (Male) | $83,803 (Female)
  • Tasmania
    Average weekly earnings: $1,596.30 (Male) | $1,450.60 (Female)
    Average salary: $83,008 (Male) | $75,431 (Female)
  • Northern Territory
    Average weekly earnings: $1,795.00 (Male) | $1,579.40 (Female)
    Average salary: $93,3405 (Male) | $82,129 (Female)
  • ACT
    Average weekly earnings: $2,055.10 (Male) | $1,893.60 (Female)
    Average salary: $106,865 (Male) | $98,467 (Female)

RELATED: Australia’s Highest-Earning Postcode Has An Average Income Of $325,000

Average Australian Salary

The 5 Highest-Paying Australian Industries

Mining

Average weekly earnings: $2,724.90 (Male) | $2,306.30 (Female)
Average salary: $141,695 (Male) | $119,928 (Female)

Information Media & Telecommunications

Average weekly earnings: $2,310.20 (Male) | $1941.00 (Female)
Average salary: $120,130 (Male) | $100,932 (Female)

Financial & Insurance Services

Average weekly earnings: $2,333.30 (Male) | $1,852.80 (Female)
Average salary: $121,332 (Male) | $96,345 (Female)

Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services

Average weekly earnings: $2,226.90 (Male) | $1,713.50 (Female)
Average salary: $115,799 (Male) | $89,102 (Female)

Electricity, Gas, Water, & Waste Services

Average weekly earnings: $2,007.60 (Male) | $1,850.80 (Female)
Average salary: $104,395 (Male) | $96,242 (Female)

How Much Money Do You Need To Be Considered Rich In Australia?

You can check out the full run of the numbers below.

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Garry Lu
WORDS by
After stretching his legs with companies such as The Motley Fool and the odd marketing agency, Garry joined Boss Hunting in 2019 as a fully-fledged Content Specialist. In 2021, he was promoted to News Editor. Garry proudly retains a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, black bruises from Muay Thai, as well as a black belt in all things pop culture. Drop him a line at [email protected]

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