“Failed country”: Man praised for his “humble” response to salary question

A man has revealed his salary and kicked off a fiery debate over wages and what’s considered a good salary in 2025.

A tradie has revealed he earns $1200 a week as a steel fixer and has been praised for his “humble” attitude towards work.

The job-matching app Getahead, which works like Tinder but matches people with careers instead of dates, has launched a very successful series in which users stop and tell people what they do for a living and how much they make.

It’s taken off, amassing hundreds of thousands of views as Aussies love having a stickybeak into other people’s careers and salaries.

When a man resting on a park bench in high-visibility clothing was approached and asked what he did for work, he explained that he was a steel fixer. His job is to do the steel work before the concreting happens.

“I just started like a week ago,” he admitted.

He was praised for being humble. Picture: TikTok/Getahead

He said he was earning "good money". Picture: TikTok/Getahead

The man explained that he is taking home $1200 dollars weekly. If that was before tax that put his yearly salary at just over $60,000.

To put that in perspective according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statics, the average yearly salary is a staggering $103,812. The full-time adult’s weekly total earnings are $1996.40, a 4.5 per cent increase from last year.

According to job search platform SEEK the average salary for steel fixing in Australia is between ranges from $75,000 to $90,000.

The man said he landed the job because one of his friends worked at the company.

“He gave me the number to the boss, so I just called the boss,” he explained.

The labourer said he works from 6am to 2.30pm. He added that it is “very hard” work because he is standing out in the sun all day and carrying steel.

However, he said he thought his salary was “fair” and was really happy with what he was able to take home weekly.

“It is more than that, I would say. It’s good money,” he said.

Online Aussies loved the man’s positive outlook on his salary and job and were quick to commend him.

“Good on you young man! No pain no gain,” one noted.

Someone else claimed he must live on “humble street,” and another said he was a “great young man.”

One person called him an “inspiration”, another ordered him to “keep hustling”, and one said he seemed like a “humble and solid’” man.

"Stock Photo of Australian Money, Five, Ten, Twenty, Fifty and One Hundred Dollar Notes"

Someone else argued that the man was doing one of the top five “hardest” jobs in the tradie industry, which led someone to reply and agree that it wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

“Couldn’t think of more physically demanding job than a steely, hats off to them. I’d never do it,” he wrote.

A more fiery debate kicked off, though, when someone complimented him as a “hard worker” and said, “Australia is full of opportunity” for him.

The nice words prompted a reply from another Aussie who asked, “What opportunity? He does steel fixing, breaks his back, and only earns $1200.”

“That’s a failed country with a failed system. He should be getting a minimum of $1600 for a job like that.”

Someone else then jumped in and pointed out that he’d just “started” his job and that $1200 was pretty good for an entry-level role.

“In 15 years he could have his own crew and clear 200k after all,” he pointed out.

Originally published as “Failed country”: Man praised for his “humble” response to salary question