Pay Rises and Average Incomes in Australia by Industry: 2011-12

It’s been a glorious weekend here in Brisbane, it really feels as though ‘winter’ is over now. I can’t help putting winter inside quotation marks; getting a bit nippy at night isn’t really what I would call winter at all.

That said, this has been the ‘coldest’ ‘winter’ out of the five I’ve experienced so far in Brisbane, and of course coldest is also in quotation marks, because it’s never really been ‘cold’.

What I actually mean by the end of winter is when daytime temperatures move from an average of around 20°C to a more enjoyable 25° C, and that’s what happened here on Saturday and Sunday.

Wonderful whether indeed, but not as hot as it was three years ago, almost to the day, when I wrote about El Niño and la Nina.

Spring officially starts next Saturday and if we don’t get rain here within the next week, that will signal an entirely rain free August. In fact, it hasn’t rained here since July 20th when 0.2mm fell.

Go on, try to measure out 0.2mm, just roughly, using your finger and thumb. That’s how much rain we’ve had in Brisbane in the last 37 days.

Funny huh?

It’s going to be close though; the weather forecast suggests a possible thunderstorm on Friday the 31st.

It would have been an ideal weekend to go out and have a bit of beach fun or even a trek in the countryside, but a couple of things stood in our way this weekend.

Hippy, our new young puppy, is attending dog training lessons each Sunday at two o’clock in the afternoon. She’s doesn’t go on her own, Mrs BobinOz and Elizabeth take her. So that scuppered Sunday.

And on Saturday, would you believe, Mrs BobinOz hosted a Tupperware party at 2:30 PM. The presenter turned up about an hour before that to setup, so that scuppered Saturday as well.

Yes Tupperware and Tupperware parties are alive and well in Australia. What a great idea for a post, I thought.

Tupperware parties in Australia

Tupperware party 1960's

NOT Mrs BobinOz and her friends…

Nah, just kidding!

Whilst Mrs BobinOz and all her friends had a jolly good afternoon, sitting out on the deck in the glorious sunshine, sipping wine and talking kitchen containers, I’m not sure it would have the same entertainment value to you. So instead, here’s an update on proper jobs.

Jobs in Australia

I recently wrote an update about getting work in my post called Finding a Job in Australia versus the UK: Part Two.

Some time ago I also wrote a post Comparing UK and Australia’s Salaries. It’s a subject that is certainly due for updating as well; it’s on my list to do. Maybe I’ll do it on Wednesday.

In the meantime though, I read some interesting news about pay rises here in Australia.

Australian pay rises by industry

Here are the movers and shakers in the employment world, starting with the top five industries for pay increases for the year June 2011 to May 2012:

  • Transport, Postal and Warehousing +9.7%
  • Wholesale Trade +8.9%
  • Mining +7.1%
  • Education and Training +4.6%
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services +4.2%

…and the bottom five for the same period:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance – down by 1.2%
  • Arts and Recreation Services – no change
  • Manufacturing up 0.35%
  • Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services up 1.1%
  • Administrative and Support Services up 1.3%

Full-time adult earnings, weekly, before overtime

For the same period, the top five paid industries are:

  • Mining – $2272.3
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services – $1622.8
  • Financial and Insurance Services – $1591.9
  • Information Media and Telecommunications – $1585.7
  • Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services – $1509.2

… and the bottom five:

  • Accommodation and Food Services – $955.9
  • Retail Trade – $969.3
  • Arts and Recreation Services – $1171
  • Manufacturing – $1174.5
  • Administrative and Support Services – $1182.4

You can read more about this over at the Courier Mail.
And you can get a whole bunch of statistics from the ABS.

Now, who wants to talk about Tupperware?

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{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Donna January 30, 2014, 4:25 am |

    Hi Bob,

    I would like to move from Scotland with my husband and 7 year old child when I qualify next year as a mental health nurse.

    Judging by the salary information you posted (thank you for that) our joint income would be between $90,000 and $115,000 pa. I was wondering if you thought this was a comfortable salary for a family with a child in private school living around Sydney?

    Thank you very much for all the information you post, it is very helpful!

    Donna

    • BobinOz January 30, 2014, 4:47 pm |

      So much depends on the cost of your housing, your lifestyle and the cost of that private school.

      If you can work out a rough estimate of those costs and any other expenses you expect to have on a monthly basis and then ask this question on my page about Sydney, someone from over that way may be able to help you.

      A ‘comfortable’ income is different for everyone, it’s something that is really difficult to advise on. Good luck, Bob

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