How does your salary stack up against the rest of Australia?

HAVE you ever suspected your pay packet to be a little lighter than your neighbour’s? Find out how much the average Australian salary is and which jobs pay the most.

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GO ON, admit it. You’re dying to know how much money your buddy made last year. And what about your brother? Or your BMW-driving neighbour?

We all want to know how our own salaries are stacked against everyone else’s. So how did you fare against the rest of Australia?

According to Seek’s annual Salary Review, the average salary in Australia in the 12 months to June 2014 is $79,767. But’s that’s down 3.2 per cent from the previous year.

The industry with the highest average salary is still mining, even if those salaries have dropped by 10 per cent. The average Australian miner is being rewarded with $120,793 a year for their efforts.

The remainder of the top five highest paying industries are:

• Consulting and strategy: $108,225

• Engineering: $105,608

• Construction: $104,754

• Information and communication technology: $99,065.

The IT guys and other information tech workers are making, on average, $99,065.

If you’re looking to upgrade your pay packet in an industry with growing salaries, cast your eye on these sectors:

• Insurance and superannuation: $81,049, up 6 per cent

• Farming, animals and conservation: $70,992, up 5 per cent

• Retail and consumer products: $58,397, up 5 per cent

• Call centre and customer service: $55,145, up 4 per cent

• Education and training: $71,848, up 4 per cent

Seek managing director Joe Powell said: “Looking broadly across the market, we’ve seen a slight dip in the average salary in Australia of 3.2 per cent to $79,767 in the financial year to June 2014. This is largely driven by the notable decline in average mining salaries, which are down 10 per cent. However, we must keep in mind this is coming off a very high base.

“High average salaries in mining, construction and IT mean that one in four roles advertised on Seek now offer salaries of more than $100,000 per year. For example, salaries in oil and gas drilling roles average $136,640 per year, construction law roles command average salaries of $127,558, and information and communication technology architects fetch an average of $136,131.”

Miners are still the highest paid workers in Australia but those salaries have decline 10 per cent year-on-year.

NSW had the greatest number of industries with salary growth while WA had the largest number of industries in decline.

Mining, resources and energy saw the largest decline in the country. But they’re not the only ones chalking up a loss. The next four were:

• Science and technology: $81,810, down 8 per cent

• Engineering: $105,608, down 7 per cent

• Construction: $104,754, down 5 per cent

• Legal: $91,409, down 4 per cent

Seek also found that one in three Australians believe they could bank more money if they switched industries while 70 per cent would like the opportunity to try a different sector to their current one.

Here are some more average salaries around the country:

• Community services and development in NSW: $66,254

• Real estate and property in NSW: $69,151

• Administration and office support in NSW: $54,706

• Government and defence in QLD: $86,334

• Healthcare and medical in QLD: $86,271

• Marketing and communications in QLD: $76,593

• Banking and financial services in WA: $84,475

• Manufacturing, transport and logistics in SA: $75,219

• Advertising, arts and media in SA: $65,212

Originally published as How does your salary stack up against the rest of Australia?