Nurses, teachers boost flagging pay packets with side hustle jobs while gardeners rake in earnings

Gig workers are raking in pay packets 50 per cent higher than teachers or nurses, who say their wages have fallen. Check our PAY TABLE

Airtasker gardener and handyman Mackenzie Wyatt does a splendid job and in return gets paid more than most teachers and nurses.

Gardeners, handymen and painters are out earning established professionals such as accountants, teachers, nurses and IT experts by outsourcing their skills, a new survey reveals.

Data from jobs marketplace Airtasker shows painters are charging up to $256.88 an hour, with capacity to pocket an eye-watering $507,600 average annual salary.

Similarly general handymen can earn up to $245,000 a year just through odd jobs - nearly 37 per cent more than school teachers, who chalk up an average annual salary of $103,000, or the equivalent of about $52.12 an hour.

Other top paying careers included mobile mechanics who greased the wheels with an average $92.61 an hour or the equivalent of $183,000, more than the average salary of a public administration officer on $160,066 and well above the average salary of a nurse on $106,000.

Red Union and Teachers Professional Association of Queensland director Scott Stanford said teachers and nurses across the state were feeling the financial strain, with their wages trailing those in the booming gig economy.

“Teachers, on average, earn $103,000 annually, and nurses aren’t far ahead at $106,000 but when you compare this to the earnings of gig economy workers, like gardeners and handypersons, it’s clear that traditional professions are being undervalued,” he said.

Teachers Professional Association of Queensland director Scott Stanford said wages for teachers and nurses were decreasing in real terms. Picture: Contributed

“Many teachers and nurses are now forced to take on additional work such as cleaning, tutoring or driving for Uber, just to make ends meet.

“Recent enterprise bargaining agreements for teachers and nurses have resulted in a real pay cut, as the percentage increase is lower than inflation.

“If we put control back in the hands of principals and hospital management, we could cut bureaucracy and free up funds to pay teachers and nurses more,” Mr Stanford said.

ABS figures showing the monthly change in wages and salaries paid across different sectors over three years from 2022.

Queensland mobile gardeners are also raking it in with workers in the sector earning $156,000 or an average $78.94 an hour, nearly double the salary of those working in the retail sector on $78,254 or an average $40 an hour.

The rise of online jobs platforms such as Airtasker allowed Brisbane handyman and gardener Mackenzie Wyatt to plant the seeds of success, pocketing a whopping $13,000 a month or $156,000 a year.

The 26-year-old Fortitude Valley-based worker said he had never been busier and was reaping the financial rewards.

After being made redundant as a mining dump truck operator, he set up his handyman business, Mack of All Trades, and straight away increased his earnings.

Handyman and gardener Mackenzie Wyatt has increased his earnings by working for himself in the gig economy. Picture: Contributed

“I specialise in heavy-duty garden maintenance and larger landscaping projects, and with spring and summer coming on business is blooming, and the pay is growing like wildflowers,” he said.

“I started out doing odd jobs here and there, but now I have clients who book me year-round,” Mr Wyatt said.

Some of Mackenzie Wyatt’s handy work showing a back yard before and after his touch.

“It’s surprising just how much people are willing to pay for good, reliable garden work. It’s a far cry from the days when gardening was just seen as a hobby or side job.

“I love the flexibility and the variety of jobs keeps me busy and engaged.”

Airtasker chief executive and founder Tim Fung said the Sydney-based online business always experienced a seasonal surge in garden-related tasks in the lead up to summer.

“This is the perfect time for Aussies to get outdoors and earn extra cash,” Mr Fung said.

In January this year, Airtasker posted 15,000 gardening-related tasks, the most demand in the past decade.