Australia’s top job revealed – and it’s not what you’d think

Demographer Bernard Salt has evaluated 1360 professions to find Australia’s best job – and prepare to be extremely surprised.

Australia’s top job has been uncovered — and it’s not what you would think.

Taking out income as a benchmark, demographer Bernard Salt put together a list based on eight parameters ranging from number of hours worked per week, to being able to work from home out of 1360 occupations nationwide — and only 24 made the cut.

Surprisingly, retail managers dominantly topped the list out of the 12 million workers recorded in the 2021 Census, The Australian reports. The job topped the list of 24 because it has the most positions available in the nation currently.

READ MORE: See if your job made the list

There are some 12 million workers in Australia, with just two per cent of those being in the 24 top jobs. Picture: Richard Dobson

Retail managers have the best job in Australia, according to Bernard Salt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dean Martin

Mr Salt, founder of The Demographics Group, crunched the data and found the nation’s top job based on this criteria:

• Full-time workers don’t need to work more than 45 hours per week although hours can vary;

• Being able to work part-time or full-time;

• Gender inclusivity;

• Includes both older and younger workers;

• Options to work from home;

• Opportunities to become an owner/manager;

• Giving workers the ability to live a balanced life and allows time, for example, for volunteering;

• Should not be stressful or lend towards anxiety and/or depression.

Although it is not part of the parameters, the median annual full-time income for the resulting top jobs ranged from $49,000 to $113,000.

He said when money was taken out of the equation, he was able to measure what is considered a top job based on criteria including work-life balance and inclusivity based on gender and age.

“A top job is more than income,” Mr Salt said.

Overall, the 24 top jobs were held by 392,000 out of 12 million workers across Australia.

Although that represents just two per cent of all jobs, Broadbeach on the Gold Coast had 10 per cent of workers in these positions.

READ MORE: Australia’s top job hotspots

Australia's top job hot spots. Picture: The Australian

Broadbeach on the Gold Coast is a national hotspot for workers with the best jobs. Picture: Supplied

Those Bunnings workers’ smiles are for a good reason – they are living the work dream. Picture: Supplied

“What I like about the top jobs list is that it is diverse and that it includes the unsung occupations of middle Australia,” Mr Salt said.

“And that these top jobs are clustered not in the glittering CBDs of our capital cities but on the coast and in the towns and on the farmlands of the interior.

“The top jobs list supports the idea — the ideal — that Australia is indeed a place of opportunity.”

Originally published as Australia’s top job revealed – and it’s not what you’d think