How your pay compares to 1000 other Aussie professions

Almost half of Aussie workers believe they aren’t being paid what they are worth, but they’ve been urged to compare their salary to other workers in similar roles before they demand an increase. Use our interactive tool to evaluate your pay packet.

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Exclusive: Australian workers are becoming increasingly disgruntled, feeling short-changed by their employers – but experts say they may just need to adjust their expectations.

Exclusive research from recruiter Robert Half revealed 43 per cent of office workers believed they were underpaid in their current job, up from 37 per cent two years ago.

Just 2 per cent thought they were paid more than they were worth.

Robert Half Australia director Nicole Gorton said she was not surprised so many workers were unhappy with their salary but she was unsure whether they had researched what other people earned in similar roles.

“People are disgruntled because they feel like they are not fairly paid (but we often wonder) ‘why do you have these feelings?’,” she said.

“What checks they have done to benchmark their salary?

“Sometimes (feelings) are not founded, sometimes they are.”

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Recruiter Nicole Gorton says feelings of being underpaid may or may not be founded. Picture: Supplied

Ms Gorton said in many cases people had become accustomed to a yearly pay rise regardless of performance.

“When an organisation (previously) had a blanket approach to giving out pay rises, it’s about managing those expectations with the employee,” she said.

“As an Australian economy, we are not expecting to see a huge spike in increasing wages.

“Wage growth is widely forecast to be stagnant in 2020 – at 2.3 per cent, if that.

“I don’t even think people should expect that.”

Indeed Asia Pacific economist Callam Pickering said wage growth in Australia had been “poor” over the past five years and well below what workers were once accustomed to.

“With the exception of healthcare, wage growth in every Australian industry is currently below its decade average,” he said.

“Healthcare should continue to see strong wage growth, relative to the rest of the economy (as) many roles are in high demand, with skill shortages readily apparent.

“We are also seeing stronger demand for professional services, which primarily reflects highly-skilled workers.

“Mining is another sector where wage growth is improving, reflecting improved conditions and profitability across the sector.”

Economist Callam Pickering says wages are growing at a slower pace than many Australians are used to. Picture: Supplied

Workers willing to make a career change in pursuit of a fatter pay packet may also set their sights on universities, dental clinics and company boardrooms.

Exclusive data from job site Indeed revealed the Australian occupations with the highest average advertised salaries were professor ($185,443 average), associate dentist ($181,986), chairperson ($175,861) and director of strategy ($175,637).

About a third of the 1000 occupations analysed averaged a six-figure full-time annual salary.

It was worth noting, however, that average salaries were typically higher than median (most common) salaries.

Real estate agents, for example, averaged $171,061 but this figure was pushed up by a small number of agents earning very high commissions.

“If your wage is a little below the average, don’t fret, it is likely that the wage you are earning is perfectly normal among your peers,” Mr Pickering said.

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