Australia’s 50 highest paid jobs revealed in Tax Office data

LOOKING for work? There are big bucks to be made in these industries if you’re lucky enough to nab one, with salaries as high as $577,674.

There are big bucks to be made if you’re lucky enough to nab one of these jobs.

ORDINARY Australians are struggling to make ends meet as wage growth stagnates and the cost of living soars but the one per cent are living large.

And while the true rich listers have their earnings tied up in complex company structures, the tax returns of the nation’s top salary earners reveal that they are living very comfortably indeed.

With high rates of underemployment, many ordinary workers would need to add an extra zero to their pay packet to match these earnings.

The latest Tax Office data reveals that male neurosurgeons have the best-paid job in the country, taking home a whopping $577,674 a year.

For women, it’s judges who lead the pack with $355,844, confirming the age-old cliche that studying law or medicine is the ticket to a life of comfort.

The gender pay gap is writ large in the results, with female neurosurgeons taking home just 56 per cent of their male counterparts’ salary, despite being the second-highest-paid professional women.

Medical specialists dominate the list of the 50 highest paid men’s jobs, with investment bankers, MPs, chief executives, dentists, company secretaries and mining engineers also making the list.

The worst-paid jobs involved manual labour and traineeships, many of them in industries that tend to employ part-time workers including fruit pickers, farm overseers, leaflet or newspaper deliverers, crossing supervisors, fast food cooks, dishwashers and kitchen hands.

Men and women in these positions reported earnings of a measly $13,307 to $20,575 a year.

Ordinary Aussies are struggling to make ends meet as wage growth stagnates and the cost of living soars.

AUSTRALIA’S 50 BEST-PAID JOBS

Men

Neurosurgeon $577,674

Ophthalmologist $552,947

Cardiologist $453,253

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon $448,530

Gynaecologist; Obstetrician $446,507

Otorhinolaryngologist $445,939

Orthopedic surgeon $439,629

Urologist $433,792

Vascular surgeon $417,524

Gastroenterologist $415,192

Diagnostic and interventional radiologist $386,003

Dermatologist $383,880

Judge — law $381,323

Anaesthetist $370,492

Cardiothoracic surgeon $358,043

Surgeon — general $357,996

Specialist physicians — other $344,860

Radiation oncologist $336,994

Medical oncologist $322,178

Securities and finance dealer $320,452

Thoracic medicine specialist $315,444

Specialist physician — general medicine $315,114

Intensive care specialist $308,033

Renal medicine specialist $298,681

Neurologist $298,543

Financial investment manager $288,790

Investment broker $286,530

Paediatric surgeon $282,508

Clinical haematologist $271,738

Futures trader $264,830

Endocrinologist $258,972

Cricketer $257,527

Rheumatologist $256,933

Dental specialist $253,442

Magistrate $246,737

Equities analyst; Investment dealer $245,826

Paediatrician $239,405

Stock exchange dealer; Stockbroker $238,192

Psychiatrist $234,557

Emergency medicine specialist $232,595

Member of Parliament $232,093

Pathologist $224,378

Company secretary — corporate governance $218,432

State governor $212,652

Actuary $196,144

Sports physician $187,468

Petroleum engineer $185,808

Chief executive officer; Executive director; Managing director; Public servant — secretary or

deputy secretary $181,849

Mining production manager $179,439

For women, it’s judges who lead the pack with $355,844 a year.

Women

Judge — law $355,844

Neurosurgeon $323,682

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon $281,608

Futures trader $281,600

Vascular surgeon $271,529

Gynaecologist; Obstetrician $264,628

Gastroenterologist $260,925

Magistrate $260,161

Anaesthetist $243,582

Ophthalmologist $217,242

Cardiologist $215,920

Urologist $213,094

Surgeon — general $210,796

Medical oncologist $208,612

Specialist physicians — other $207,599

Specialist physician — general medicine $207,225

Otorhinolaryngologist $200,136

Dermatologist $195,030

Diagnostic and interventional radiologist $180,695

Cardiothoracic surgeon $175,500

Paediatric surgeon $175,314

Endocrinologist $174,542

Member of Parliament $173,331

Rheumatologist $169,409

Intensive care specialist $169,369

Emergency medicine specialist $165,786

Orthopedic surgeon $159,479

Neurologist $155,217

Renal medicine specialist $155,133

Psychiatrist $152,437

Clinical haematologist $147,970

Paediatrician $147,347

Securities and finance dealer $145,208

Dental specialist $140,505

Actuary $136,819

Radiation oncologist $135,678

Financial investment manager $134,481

Petroleum engineer $133,315

Mining production manager $133,061

General medical practitioner $129,834

Thoracic medicine specialist $127,645

Stockbroker $124,433

Paving plant operator $123,281

Mining engineer $119,564

Tribunal member $119,219

Occupational medicine specialist; Public health physician; Sports physician $118,310

Geophysicist $117,575

General medical practitioner $184,639

Chief executive officer; Executive director; Managing director; Public servant — secretary or

deputy secretary $116,855

Metallurgist $110,359

Engineering manager $116,732

Originally published as Australia’s 50 highest paid jobs revealed in Tax Office data