Revealed: The in-demand jobs offering six-figure salaries

Five months of part-time study is all that’s required to land Australia’s most in-demand job offering a six-figure salary. See the full list here.

Aussie workers can land a job with a six-figure salary after just five months of part-time online study.

Recruitment platform SEEK has unveiled the highest-growing jobs that pay more than $100,000. Lending managers take out the number one spot, experiencing a whopping 163.3 per cent growth in demand and earning an average $133,903 a year.

A minimum Certificate IV qualification in credit management is needed to become a lending manager, SEEK says. That qualification can be completed in as little as five months of part-time online study, with no prerequisites required.

Other high-growth, high-paying jobs revealed by SEEK include construction certifiers (with an average salary of $114,317), building supervisors ($106,840), data analysts ($105,093) and medical practitioners ($234,347).

Of these, only data analysts and medical practitioners require a university degree.

“The good news is that there are roles out there which hit a sweet spot between high demand and strong salary growth – and some don’t necessarily require formal tertiary education,’’ SEEK career coach Leah Lambart says.

“There are some great salaries on offer in industries where job seekers have come from a trade background or have industry accreditations that satisfy the education requirements.

“For those looking for corporate roles, consider applying transferable skills and experience, or undertaking short courses to develop technical skills quickly, as a good way to unlock a higher salary, especially for in-demand and harder to fill roles.’’

Blair Chapman expects many lucrative professions to remain in high demand this year.

The fast growing, lucrative jobs on offer

Occupational therapists, lawyers, procurement specialists, software engineers and several managerial positions have also been identified among Australia’s fastest-growing high-paying roles, according to another job site, Indeed.

These professions all earn more than $80,000 a year and are in considerable demand.

SEEK senior economist Blair Chapman says despite overall demand in labour slowing, a number of roles continue to experience strong growth.

“With more competition for these roles, and the supply of qualified and skilled workers slow to respond to demand – often due to long training times – these roles also attract average salaries in excess of $100,000,” he said.

Chapman expects many lucrative professions will remain in high demand this year – including lending managers, with the Reserve Bank’s recent decision to cut interest rates predicted to increase business and household borrowing.

Chris Franco, financial planner with leading firm William Buck, is not surprised his profession is in high demand. Picture: Russell Millard

Cost-of-living crisis driving up demand

Chris Franco works as financial planner with leading accountant and advisory firm William Buck.

Demand for financial planners has increased by 25.5 per cent in the last year, with those in the profession earning an average of $127,567 a year, according to SEEK.

The senior wealth adviser is not surprised by the high level of demand and says, given the cost-of-living crisis, “people are trying to make sure their money is going as far as it can’’.

“One of the reasons I believe this line of work has become sought after is that there is so much information available now, it can be very overwhelming,’’ Franco says.

“When I started in the industry more than 10 years ago, it was much harder to find information on investments, shares and retirement planning, but now we’ve almost tipped the other way.’’

The introduction of higher educational standards for financial planners has also exacerbated worker demand.

Why passion should still outrank pay

With overall wage growth failing to keep pace with rising living costs, Indeed workplace psychologist Amanda Gordon says jobs that defy the trend are becoming highly sought after.

While Gordon concedes “we all have to earn enough money to live”, she urges workers to choose jobs wisely. Accepting roles purely for their earning capacity will lead to higher job dissatisfaction and burnout, and a poor workplace culture, she warns.

“People talk about toxic work culture all the time but what you bring to the workplace is part of what forms that culture,’’ she says.

“If all you bring is, ‘I’m here for the money’ and that’s what everyone thinks, it’s not going to be a very pleasant place to work.

“We need to start thinking more philosophically when it comes the value a job brings – is it the actual dollars you get or is it the enjoyment for the role and … the sense of self-worth?’’

Lucrative jobs in high demand

Lending manager, 163.3% increase in number of job ads, $133,903 average salary

Certifier (construction) 73.3%, $114,317

Building supervisor, 72.4%, $106,840

Data analyst, 60.6%, $105,093

Medical practitioner, 51.3%, $234,347

Employee relations adviser, 50%, $111,848

Hydraulic engineer, 45.7%, $128,496

Refrigeration technician, 40.2%, $103,755

Mining operator, 34.8%, $113,982

Policy officer (government), 33.8%, $107,859

Business development manager, 31.6%, $108,165

Sales and business development manager, 29.6%, $106,717

Hygienist, 29%, $113,000

Taxation manager, 26.4%, $145,174

Financial planning and analysis analyst, 25.5%, $127,567

Source: SEEK

Originally published as Revealed: The in-demand jobs offering six-figure salaries