Aussie tradie reveals why some miners are poor

A young tradie is going viral for revealing the truth behind FIFO salaries and why some people still leave with “nothing”.

An Aussie tradie who has worked in the lucrative mining industry has revealed that many miners are secretly poor.

Asher Shaw amassed over 300,000 views on TikTok by explaining that despite their big salaries, people working in the mining industry aren’t all rich.

The young Aussie claimed that people who bring in more than $4000 a week are still living week to week, and there’s a simple reason why.

“People on average are making $2000 to $4000 a week after tax and are still f**king poor and living week to week,” he said.

Mr Shaw said that while it sounded “insane”, the reason was that workers end up buying shiny objects, and suddenly, their huge pay cheques get eaten up.

He explained people get trapped in a week-to-week cycle. Picture: TikTok/ashershawy

The tradie has revealed an issue in the mining industry. Picture: TikTok/ashershawy

He said that workers go on expensive holidays, buy costly watches, jet skis and cars, and end up stuck in a weekly cycle trying to pay for it all.

He said the issue was “out of control”, and when you work in the mines, you realise that people earning $150,000-plus are still living weekly.

In fact, Mr Shaw said that people can work in the mining industry for over a decade and leave with nothing to show for it because of their spending habits.

“They do 10 years and have nothing to show for it and it is just a shame because they put in those 10 years and sacrifice all that time away from their families and then they come out with nothing,” he said.

The young tradie said that working in the mines and being surrounded by people who were just “blowing” their money was a wake-up call.

He said some workers leave with nothing. Picture: iStock

Mr Shaw’s opinion kicked off a debate in the comment section, with people arguing that misusing your money isn’t the same as being poor.

“Well, they aren’t exactly broke if they got the Land Cruisers, Commodores and jet skis! Those are assets my boy,” one wrote.

Similarly, another weighed in and claimed there’s a “big difference” between being poor and poorly managing money.

One wrote that Mr Shaw’s rant just made them realise they had different ideas about what it means to be broke.

“That’s not poor — that’s living outside of your means. Poor is those below the poverty line,” one argued.

Another claimed that living beyond your means was a common symptom of being a FIFO worker because “the more money you make, the more you spend”.

He has revealed why some miners aren't getting rich. Picture: TikTok/ashershawy

He said people spend money on things they don’t need. Picture: TikTok/ashershawy

While someone else shared that most miners don’t plan to work in the industry long-term but end up in so much debt they can’t afford to leave.

One called the syndrome being locked in “golden handcuffs” and said FIFO workers should do a 12-month budgeting course before they are allowed to start.

Another pointed out that most miners were doing way better than the average Aussie, who are earning $800 a week.

Jobs in the mining sector are consistently ranked as offering the highest average salary in Australia.

According to Seek, mining jobs have the number one rank with an average salary for someone working in the mining industry being $116,000 – a drop of 14 per cent from 2013.

FIFO work is becoming an increasingly popular career option for Australians, as mining and energy sites nationwide search for people to work in remote and regional locations.

According to training provider AUSINET, there are 100,000 FIFO workers in Australia.

FIFO work arrangements are predominant in Western Australia and Queensland.

Originally published as Aussie tradie reveals why some miners are poor