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Pay

This Month

Jefferies’ head office in New York. The US advisory firm has grown quickly in Australia.

New hires love Jefferies’ cash bonuses. Just don’t try to leave

Unlike other investment banks, the fast-growing New York firm offers upfront payment instead of deferred stock. It seems to be working, as headcount grows.

  • Jemima Whyte and Sarah Thompson
Australia will probably need close to 2 million workers in building and engineering trades by 2050 to meet the demands of the energy transition, says Jobs and Skills Australia.

The 10 jobs that landed the biggest pay rises in financial year 2024

Geologists, engineers and trades such as carpenters and electricians were among the occupations that landed the largest salary bumps.

  • Euan Black
Public sector hiring has proven more resilient to the economic slowdown, fuelled by a surge in spending and generous state and federal government pay deals.

Public servant wages outpace private for the first time since 2020

Annual wage growth fell to 3.5 per cent in September from 4.1 per cent in June, as pay growth slowed on the back of a cooling economy.

  • Updated
  • Michael Read

October

Why the $5m lawyer is no longer a rarity at top Aussie firms

Top law firms are forking out more than $5 million a year to poach or protect big-billing market leaders from rivals, amid intense industry competition.

  • Maxim Shanahan
The lawyers, who are not qualified to practice independently, have benefited from US firms’ aggressive expansion into the UK.

Student lawyers without practising certificates to earn $136k

US law firm Davis Polk will pay their UK trainee lawyers, who are yet to qualify as solicitors, at least $135,000.

  • Adam Mawardi
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AustralianSuper chairman Don Russell is the country’s highest-paid super fund director.

Revealed: Which super fund directors earn the most

Payments to directors at one fund outstripped those of comparable size by more than half a million dollars, despite delivering worse returns than most of their rivals, analysis by AFR Weekend shows.

  • Hannah Wootton

September

Samuelson Appau

DEI is no longer just about ethics, it’s about profits, academics say

Australian business schools are providing an increasing amount of diversity components to reflect a growing corporate demand.

  • Gus McCubbing
A well-timed redundancy payout can be life changing.

What to do with a six-figure redundancy payout

Being made redundant can be emotionally and financially devastating if you weren’t expecting it. But large lump sum payouts also present an opportunity to reset your career and finances.

  • Duncan Hughes
Could ever more elephantine salaries for relatively inexperienced people, in the law or anywhere else, skew the way applicants are hired?

The allure of the loud know-nothing

Do huge entry-level salaries encourage the selection of assertive, confident, forceful people rather than quieter, shyer rivals who are more competent?

  • Pilita Clark

August

Myths about why men are paid more than women don’t stack up.

This Gender Pay Day, employers must take action for their own good

Women must work, on average, 50 more days per year to earn the same as men. Here’s what businesses need to do about it.

  • Mary Wooldridge
Economists reckon the biggest post-pandemic pay rises are now behind us.

Workers told to expect lower nominal pay rises as economy cools

Employers expect to lift salaries by an average of 3.8 per cent this financial year, as mounting evidence suggests pay rises have passed their recent peak.

  • Euan Black

July

Australia’s highest-paid CEOs include Greg Goodman (Goodman Group), Shemara Wikramanayake (Macquarie), Mike Henry (BHP), and Matt Comyn (CBA).

Who are the highest paid ASX 200 CEOs?

New research shows that ASX 100 CEOs earn on average 50 times more than the average Australian adult.

  • Hannah Wootton
Uber is changing how it calculates prices, enraging the transport union but relieving customers.

Uber cuts prices – but also pay rates for drivers

The company is expected to pull prices back by up to 5 per cent despite rising costs of insurance and fuel.

  • Nick Bonyhady

June

Mark Robertson, KC, is said to have no interest in becoming a judge.

Meet the most expensive lawyer in Australia

Tax specialist Mark Robertson, KC, is in a league of his own, charging $6250 an hour and $50,000 for an eight-hour day.

  • Michael Pelly
KPMG says reducing immigration will restrict businesses hiring the best workers, and be a handbrake on productivity.

Why KPMG sees silver lining to 5pc jobless rate

The big four firm says there is no “productivity crisis” and recent lacklustre results can be explained by the workforce shake-up caused by the pandemic.

  • Ronald Mizen
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In some industries employers are prepared to offer significant sums in order to attract the very top talent.

‘My graduate job starting salary was $343,000 – here’s why’

Some law and investment banking firms in Britain are paying graduates in their early 20s enormous salaries. The financial rewards are vast but come at a big cost.

  • Kimberley Bond
Teenagers at McDonald’s and many other companies are paid less than adults.

Union push to raise teen pay by up to 42pc

The retail and fast-food workers’ union says 18- and 19-year-olds can drink, vote and join the army so they should be paid the same as people aged 20 and older.

  • Updated
  • David Marin-Guzman

May

Employees at Melanie Perkins’ Canva are higher paid than tech staff elsewhere, but are increasingly unionised, according to Professionals Australia.

Study shows pay gaps between tech’s big names and the rest

A new study shows a stark difference in pay at newer tech stars like Atlassian and Canva, compared to public sector and other tech company specialists.

  • Paul Smith

April

CBA’s dumping of royal commission bonus caps has angered ASIC which says it creates conduct risks.

ASIC chairman ‘very disturbed’ about CBA’s bonus move

Joe Longo said he had raised concerns about CBA’s breach of bonus caps directly with the bank’s chairman Paul O’Malley and urged the bank to reconsider.

  • James Eyers and Lucas Baird
CBA is embarking on a major strategic shift involving pushing its Bankwest brand to mortgage brokers.

CBA dumps bonus limits to fight Macquarie on mortgages

The bank will dump bonus caps agreed in the shadow of the Hayne royal commission as it tries to stem market share losses to rival Macquarie.

  • James Eyers

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/pay-hoj