Australia is attractive to foreigners for many reasons. Tourists fly across the ocean in search of new experiences, and potential immigrants want to find a good job on the Green Continent in a steadily developing economy. If long distance travel and climate change do not frighten an immigrant, then working conditions and wages in Australia will become more an incentive than an obstacle on his way.
General labor market indicators
The unemployment rate in September 2021 was 5.3%, and the underemployment rate was 8.4%. The percentage of unemployed among young people (this includes an Australian aged 15 to 24) is slightly higher - 11.7%.
At the same time, the statistics are slightly different by region. The highest unemployment rates are found in Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia (6.4–6.5%), while the lowest rates are found in the Metropolitan Territory and New South Wales (3.5% and 4.5%, respectively).
Australia has national employment standards. In other words, guarantees enshrined in the legislation, consisting in the following:
- Normal weekly work hours are 38 hours.
- The duration of the paid vacation is 4 weeks per year. Another 7 days can be received by those who are engaged in shift work.
- Unpaid periods at the request of the employee (with the retention of a place): childcare - up to 24 months, at personal request - 2 days, for family reasons - 5 days.
- Additional weekends on public holidays.
- Dismissal by the decision of the employer is subject to at least 4 weeks prior notice and benefits of up to 16 weeks' earnings.
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Minimum bet
The Fair Work Act 2009 specifies that the minimum wage in Australia is revised annually. The new indicator becomes effective only from July 1 of each new financial year after the signing of a new order.
From 1 July 2021, the hourly rate was AU $ 19.49 or AU $ 740.8 per week (38 hours of work). The revised minimum tariffs for 2021 - 2021 are published by a special decree on the website of the Fair Work Commission (FWC).
If a specialist is not constantly engaged in production, but is involved from time to time, then at least 25% of the allowance must be added to the total amount of payment for his services. In addition, you will have to pay at least 3 hours for each shift, even if the employee coped faster.
Minors and young employees are allowed to pay less than the established minimum wage. The calculation of what salary in Australia in 2021 is made as a percentage of the baseline.
| Employee age | Percentage of rate ($ 19.49 / hour) |
|---|---|
| Under the age of 16 | 36.8 |
| 16 full years | 47.3 |
| 17 years | 57.8 |
| 18 years | 68.3 |
| 19 years | 82.5 |
| 20 years | 97.7 |
However, this applies exclusively to those employees who are not covered by intra-industry agreements on working conditions and wages.
The FWC website contains a list of registered agreements. For those who do not know how to find their indicator in this list, you can use the service on the Fair Work Ombudsmen website.
Another tool will be useful for those who want to know how much to pay when hiring interns and apprentices of different years of study and qualifications.
Average earnings
The minimum salary is accrued only to workers without a specialty or employees who do not have high qualifications. Working students and interns are also classified as low-paid.
The average wage in Australia for full-time adults (38 hours per week plus reasonable overtime) is significantly higher. At the same time, in different regions, the payment for women and men also differs.
| Territory | Average weekly salary, Australian Doll | |
|---|---|---|
| men | women | |
| N.S.W. | 1768.4 | 1509.1 |
| Victoria | 1665.6 | 1505.2 |
| Queensland | 1685.5 | 1411.2 |
| South australia | 1528 | 1385.2 |
| Western Australia | 1923.1 | 1508.7 |
| Tasmania | 1473.2 | 1322.1 |
| Northern Territory | 1808.7 | 1553.7 |
| Metropolitan region | 1920.1 | 1688.6 |
| In the whole country | 1727.7 | 1485.5 |
Geographic and gender excluded, the average wage in Australia in 2021 approached $ 1,634.80. In Russian currency, this amounts to just over 71,000 rubles per week.
In order to determine whether it is a lot or a little for life in Australia, read the article “Australia: the life of ordinary people”.
Earnings by industry
Every year, Statistics Australia publishes a study on average earnings disaggregated by gender. The highest incomes are recorded in the extractive industry, energy, media, professional and financial services.
However, this does not mean that each of these areas exclusively includes the highest paid professions in Australia.
| Industry | Earnings per week, austral. Doll. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | In men | Among women | |
| Extractive industry | 2573 | 2616.9 | 2285.6 |
| Production | 1432.7 | 1471 | 1310.2 |
| Energy | 1873.9 | 1923.6 | 1703.1 |
| Construction | 1586.6 | 1613.6 | 1396.8 |
| Wholesale | 1563.9 | 1636.7 | 1389.9 |
| Retail | 1200.1 | 1219.1 | 1171.5 |
| Accommodation for accommodation with meals | 1162.4 | 1207.1 | 1096.8 |
| Transport, mail and warehousing | 1612.5 | 1669.5 | 1409.5 |
| Mass media and telecommunications | 1991.4 | 2120.2 | 1757.9 |
| Financial and insurance services | 1985.9 | 2237.1 | 1691 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 1417.7 | 1560 | 1255 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 1938.6 | 2121.5 | 1605.6 |
| Administrative and support services | 1526 | 1645.6 | 1376.5 |
| Public administration and security | 1711.5 | 1747.5 | 1661.7 |
| Education and training | 1768.1 | 1909.1 | 1690.2 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1566.5 | 1885.8 | 1434.9 |
| Arts and recreation services | 1567.4 | 1706.7 | 1369.6 |
| Other services | 1267.6 | 1282.6 | 1237.8 |
| Average salary for all industries | 1634.8 | 1727.7 | 1485.5 |
Income by profession
The order of ranking according to the level of salaries in Australia by profession is quite familiar: lawyers, doctors, financiers and programmers. Along with them, engineers, teachers, college teachers and representatives of certain working specialties can boast of good salaries.
The table shows the average salary ranges by occupation in Australia for employees with five years of experience.
| Name of the profession | Salary range, Australian dollars per month |
|---|---|
| Doctor | 4 859–7 837 |
| Nurse | 4 153–6 692 |
| Elementary school teacher | 4 792–7 720 |
| University professor | 4 729–7 618 |
| Programmer | 5 134–8 273 |
| Accountant | 4 380–7 057 |
| Financial analyst | 4 380–7 057 |
| Lawyer | 5 129–8 263 |
| Energy Engineer | 4 745–7 646 |
| Civil engineer | 5 443–8 770 |
| Police officer | 3 997–5 162 |
| Secretary | 4 563–6 223 |
| Dentist | 4 795–7 725 |
| Salesman | 4 627–5 976 |
| Public transport driver | 3 845–4 967 |
| Waiter | 4 823–6 229 |
| Nanny | 4 081–5 270 |
| Electrician | 3 812–4 925 |
| Plumber | 5 071–6 549 |
| Builder | 5 071–6 549 |
| Miner | 3 909–5 048 |
| Worker | 3 670–5 005 |
Regional differences
The average salary by state and territory also differs significantly. Traditionally, Australians living in the metropolitan area receive the highest income.
| Region | Average weekly salary, Australian Doll. |
|---|---|
| Capital Territory | 1 809,70 |
| Western Australia | 1 780,80 |
| N.S.W. | 1 664,10 |
| South australia | 1 475,10 |
| Victoria | 1 608,30 |
| Queensland | 1 577,20 |
| Northern Territory | 1 690,30 |
| Tasmania | 1 420,50 |
| In the whole country | 1 634,80 |
However, this does not mean that somewhere outside the capital, the salary of an engineer in Australia cannot be higher. Technological progress and a developing economy constantly require more and more skilled workers. There is not enough local personnel, so the authorities (including regional ones) are developing programs to stimulate the return of their own citizens working abroad and the recruitment of foreigners.
The main condition for the simplified receipt of a work visa is belonging to one of the scarce specialties from the list published on the website of the Department of the Interior.
Representatives of other professions will have to apply for a visa in the general manner and remember that a tourist visa is not suitable for work.
About what a work visa is, how to get it, what documents are needed for this, read the article “Everything that is useful to know about a work visa”.
Working illegally in Australia simply will not work, since this does not give a person the right to receive a unique tax number - TFN. Without it, a foreigner will not be able to open a bank account, will not be issued a driver's license and, even with a strong desire, will not be able to apply to the state. And after the expiration of the entry permit, after the first check of documents, the illegal is deported from the country.
Features of payroll
In Australia, as in most other countries in the world, discrimination on the basis of race, gender or age is prohibited. However, an objectively formed stratification in payments is still observed.
Thus, general salaries in the public sector are higher than those of private employers. However, in both cases, women in Australia traditionally earn less than the stronger sex.
| Economy sector | Salary in 2019, Australian dollars per week | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | In men | Among women | |
| Private | 1594.8 | 1696.3 | 1401.5 |
| State | 1785.4 | 1891.5 | 1691 |
| General | 1634.8 | 1727.7 | 1485.5 |
Another frequent occurrence is the reluctance of employers to hire too young, in their opinion, or, on the contrary, older employees.
To increase the attractiveness of some specialists, the country's authorities have developed several programs to stimulate the employment of certain categories, subject to the conclusion of a contract for a period of at least six months with a load of more than 20 hours a week:
- A grant of up to AUS $ 10,000 is available to those who are hiring a person over 50 or an intern aged 15-29.
- The same amount will be paid to an employer with a native Australian (Aboriginal) state.
- Up to AUD 6,500 will be paid to those who employ a guardian or parent of a minor child.
- The same amount will be received by those who employ a person who has received unemployment benefits for at least 12 months.
- Up to 10,500 Australian dollars can be transferred to those who are hiring an intern or apprentice, especially if the specialty is related to the need to obtain practical skills, and the duration of study or internship exceeds 12 months.
Assistance programs are not mutually exclusive. For example, if you hire someone over 50 years old as an apprentice, the total government subsidy could be as high as A $ 20,500.
Taxation of salaries
Earned income is taxed even before it is paid into the hands of employees. The following are deducted from the accrued amount:
- Income tax - 0–45% (on a progressive scale).
- Medicare levy - 2% (national levy).
- MLS (Medicare levy surcharge) - an additional insurance payment for those who receive more than 90,000 Australian dollars. per year (progressive rate - up to 1.5%).
The article "Taxes on income, property and salaries in Australia" tells in detail about the tax system in the country.
Maximum income tax rates hardly apply to most Australians. Rates above 30% are paid mainly by high-income recipients and non-residents. For the latter, the minimum rate is 32.5%.
| Income Range, Australian dollars per year | Bid, % |
|---|---|
| up to 18 200 | 0 |
| up to 37,000 | 19 |
| up to 90,000 | 32.5 |
| up to 180,000 | 37 |
| more than 180,000 | 45 |
Online tools for calculating tax revenues and withholdings help to get a general idea of the "net" salary. The additional payment for MLS is not included in it, it is calculated based on the results of the year.
| Application threshold, Australian dollars per year | 1st stage | 2nd stage | Stage 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| For single payers | 90 000 – 105 000 | 105 000 – 140 000 | from 140,000 |
| For a couple | 180 000 – 210 000 | 210 000 – 280 000 | from 280,000 |
| Bid, % | 1 | 1.25 | 1.5 |
Income less than $ 90,000 per year is not subject to surcharge.
Conclusion
Australia, like Canada, has an ongoing need for technicians. That is why the country's government is pursuing a liberal migration policy towards foreigners who are highly qualified in certain fields, and Australian employers are ready to offer the highest salaries and favorable working conditions.
