Last Updated on April 5, 2022
Wondering which career path to follow? Do you wish to know where the biggest job incentives are in Australia right now? Then, you have come to the right place.
Knowing the current high paying jobs in Australia can help motivate you to work hard, sacrifice, and exercise, as well as guide your career path.
While most high paying jobs might seem out of reach, it pays to learn everything you need to know about them. By knowing about these jobs, you will be able to prepare yourself to meet the minimum requirements needed to land any one of them. That said, here are the top 10 highest paying jobs in Australia in 2022.
Table of Contents
Highest Paying Jobs in Australia
1. Surgeon
- Average salary: $394,303.
Surgeons are medical specialists who consult, examine and operate on patients suffering from disease, injury or deformity.
This average income can be a bit misleading, as there are different kinds of surgeons, with type of surgery, expertise and qualifications significantly impacting one’s salary. Of the medical specialists, neurosurgeons were the highest paid with an average of $600,387, followed by reconstructive surgeons at $500,269 and ophthalmologists at $533,511.
Qualifications:
- Complete an accredited medical degree at university
- Work in a clinical setting for two to three years
During your third year (PGY3), apply for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Surgical Education and Training (SET) to train in a surgical specialty e.g. brain, cardiovascular, orthopaedic or plastic. This normally takes five to six years.
One SET is completed you can become a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) and are accredited to practice as a surgeon.
2. Anaesthetist
- Average salary: $386,065.
Anaesthetists are involved in preparing surgical patients for their procedure, which includes pain relief, surgery preparation and implementing a patient care plan before, during and after the procedure.
Qualifications:
- Complete an accredited medical degree at university
- Internship in a clinical setting for one year
- Complete a residency over one (or more) years
- Apply for the Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetist (FANZA) vocational training program, which takes five years to complete.
- Once FANZA is completed you are a fully qualified anaesthetist.
3. Internal Medicine Specialist
- Average salary: $304,752.
Internal medicine specialists are trained to diagnose, manage and treat complex, sometimes complicated or difficult-to-diagnose health disorders. They often consult with other practitioners and may have particular concentrations or sub specialisations from infectious diseases, cardiology, geriatric medicine to rheumatology.
Qualifications:
- Complete an accredited medical degree at university
- Complete an intensive three-year internal medicine residency
- Training in Adult internal Medicine for three years full-time
- When you have successfully completed your Advanced Training, the overseeing committee will recommend you for admission to Fellowship.
- You’ll receive an invitation from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians to apply for Fellowship to your Division, Faculty or Chapter.
4. Financial Dealer
- Average salary: $275,984.
Financial dealers analyse social trends, market conditions and government regulations, as well as analyse and interpret their client’s financial circumstances in order to buy and sell commodities for profit.
Qualifications:
- A degree in commerce, accounting, finance or economics
- Apply for a relevant license from Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
- Once you are accepted, you’re clear to trade as a financial dealer
5. Psychiatrist
- Average salary: $235,558.
Psychiatrists specialize in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses, through psychotherapy, establishing treatment plans, ordering laboratory testing and assessment, prescribing medication and admitting patients to hospital.
Qualifications:
- Complete an accredited medical degree at university
- Become a registered medical practitioner and
- Apply to the Royal Australasian College of physicians (RACP) to undertake further training and the RACp written and clinical examination
- Undertake specialised training for a further six years
- Once completed, you will be admitted to the fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of physicians (FRACP).
6. Other Medical Practitioners
- Average salary: $222,933.
As we mentioned, there is a long list of medical practitioners and their roles and salaries vary greatly. Highlight competitive and well-paying medical practitioner roles include cardiologists, orthopedic specialists and gastroenterologists, who have a collective average salary of about $450,000. There are also general practitioners, pediatricians, orthodontists, dentists, periodontists, obstetricians and many more. There are endless avenues of specialisation, and the one you choose will likely be aligned with what you’re most interested in and what demographic you’d most like to help.
Qualifications:
- Complete an accredited medical degree at university
- Complete an internship for one years
- Get medical registration through the Medical Board of Australia
- Complete one or two more years of prevocational training
- Obtain fellowship through a specialty training program.
7. Judicial or other legal professionals
- Average salary: $188,798.
Again, this is a broad term which covers many different jobs within the legal sector, however it can range from judges, to all kinds of lawyers specialising in contracts, personal injury, bankruptcy, immigration, crime, corporate or other, to paralegals and administrative assistants. A career in law is exciting because you can choose which field you want to be involved in, and can utilise your skills to make serious changes to legislation at the local, state or federal levels, as well as in court, tribunals and royal commissions.
- Qualifications:
- Complete a Bachelor of Law (LLB) undergraduate degree or a Juris Doctor (JD)
- Complete Practical Legal Training which can be completed in less than a year.
- Gain admission from the relevant state or territories Admissions Authority within 5 years of graduation.
- Apply for a Practising Certificate from the local Law Society.
- Complete 18 to 24 months of supervised practice at a law firm.
8. Mining Engineer
- Average salary: $184,507.
Mining engineers are in charge of evaluating, planning and overseeing the construction of a mine. They identify potential development sites by collaborating with geologists and conducting surveys off the mineral deposits, as well as coordinating the actual employment of staff and implementing safety programs and procedures. They are also responsible for returning the mines to their original state once mining is completed.
Qualifications:
- Undertake a Bachelor of Engineering degree, majoring in mining or geotechnical engineering ( you may complete years 3 and 4 at Mining Education Australia (MEA), a collaborative venture with several Australian universities).
- Apply for a job as a Graduate Mining Engineer
- After two to three years as a Graduate, you will become a Professional Mining Engineer.
9. Enterprise architecture manager
- Average salary: $168,762.
Enterprise and systems architect managers are responsible for the overseeing and ultimate direction, performance and technical aspects of the organisation’s IT networks, from upgrading and improving services, to overseeing software and hardware implementation and installation. They are the big picture guys for the IT performance of their company, and are in charge of enterprise architects, software architects and other IT professionals.
Qualifications:
- Diploma, bachelor or master’s degree in computer science, information technology or a related field
- Experience as a computer programmer and software developer would be an advantage,as will hands-on experience with various systems, hard drives and cloud computing
- Experience in management, leadership and business development would also be an advantage.
10. CEO or Managing Director
- Average salary: $164,896.
A chief executive officer or managing director is the most senior executive position in a company, in charge of managing the operations, organisation, its people and its resources. General managers oversee development of business plans, budgets and strategies and identifying risks that could affect the company’s efficiency, productivity, and ultimately, its profitability.
Qualifications:
- Complete a business-related bachelor’s degree (master’s optional)
- Build on-the-job experience
There is no singular way to become the head of a company, and there are outliers and many different avenues, but education and experience are two of the most important and consistent factors for success in high-level business.
This is the list of high paying jobs in Australia. However, it doesn’t include all jobs. We have selected the top 10 highest paying jobs in Australia, but you can search for other places to work and enjoy earning good pay.
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