The top paying jobs in Australia for 2021
Published August 2021
There are many considerations to make when deciding which course is right for you: the location, length, cost of the course, but also things like outcomes for graduates, such as employment rates and graduate pay. Perhaps you’re still in the process of choosing a field of study or career path. While salary is just one of many factors to consider, let’s face it: it pays (quite literally) to be informed.
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has released its most recent set of income statistics, which outlines the top 10 occupations by average taxable income for the 2018–19 income year.
There are no huge surprises when it comes to these top-paying professions, and the hierarchy of occupations hasn’t changed since the last report was released. However, in some cases the number of workers in the profession and amount earned has significantly shifted. This list of top 10 jobs is dominated by the medical, finance and engineering industries, while hospitality and cleaning occupations ranked lowest.
Which jobs has the highest salary in Australia?
1. Surgeon
There are 4,150 Australians in this profession, and they have the highest annual average income: $394,303.
2. Anaesthetist
There are 3,142 anaesthetists in Australia. The average taxable wage is $386,065.
3. Internal medicine specialist
This broad field includes paediatricians, cardiologists, clinical haematologists, endocrinologists, oncologists, neurologists, rheumatologists, intensive care specialists, gastroenterologist and more. There are 9,559 people in this category, with an average annual income of $304,752.
4. Financial dealer
4,720 people work as financial dealers in Australia, and they earn an approximate taxable income of $275,984.
5. Psychiatrist
There are 3,001 psychiatrists in Australia, earning an average taxable income of $235,558.
6. Other medical practitioners
This very broad category includes other medical practitioners not mentioned above. It includes 28,404 workers, who earn an average of $222,933.
7. Judicial and other legal professionals
The legal industry has just over 3,800 professionals in Australia; they earn an average taxable income of $188,798.
8. Mining engineer
Australia has 8,856 mining engineers, and they earn an average taxable wage of $184,507.
9. CEO and managing director
There are over 190,386 workers in executive management, who work in companies of all types and sizes. Their average income is $164,896.
10. Engineering manager
There are over 25,500 engineering managers in Australia, and they earn an average taxable income of $159,940.