The highest paying jobs in Australia 2023 - 2024

The highest paying jobs in Australia in 2023 - 2024
While most of the salaries listed here are for roles in Sydney, there are a few exceptions that we highlight. For example, sectors like mining and oil and gas have the top earners in Western Australia. The ACT leads in salaries for defence since military spending is in the federal domain.
For salaries in other locations or other roles in your field, please see our complete Hays Salary Guide, and to check if you’re salary stacks up, try our Salary Checker.
Legal: Equity Partner (up to $850K)
Executive: CEO and MD ($700K)
Retail: General Manager (up to $510K)
Other jobs that can pay over $200K in retail include group planning managers/directors ($160-300K), national operations managers ($153-306K), heads of design/creative directors ($140-255K), buying managers ($150-204K) and planning managers ($140-204K). E-Commerce managers have also risen in prominence, with the highest reported salaries reaching above $200K.
Accountancy & Finance: Head of Treasury ($410K)
Property: Development Director (up to $388K)
Energy: Project Delivery Director (up to $357K)
Construction: Construction Manager (up to $320K)
In civil construction, construction managers can receive a typical salary of between $180-280K and project managers between $160-210K. In residential construction, a construction manager can earn a typical salary of between $160-220K, while a senior contracts administrator earns between $120-200K.
Sustainability: Head of sustainability (up to $310K)
Technology: CIO and CTO ($306K)
Marketing & Digital: Executive Director of Communications ($300K)
Human Resources: Head of HR/HR Director ($300K)
Banking: State Manager ($300K)
Life Sciences: Medical Director ($275K)
Mining: Registered Mine Manager ($270K )
There are many other mining roles in fixed plant maintenance, mobile plant maintenance, industrial construction, industrial design and OHS and environmental, with average salaries close to or exceeding $200K.
Engineering: Project Manager (up to $255K)
Facilities Management: General Manager (up to $255K)
Defence: Sales Director (up to $350K)
Sales: Director of Sales ($250K)
Insurance: Head of Claims ($200K)
Contact Centres: Head of Customer Service ($200K)
Logistics: Supply Chain Director ($200K)
Education: Principal (up to $400K in Non-Government Schools)
Find more of Australia’s highest paying jobs
Highest paying jobs in Australia FAQ
Is $100K a year a good salary in Australia?
What is the highest-paid job in Australia?
- Equity partners in private practices have average salaries higher than $500K, with top-tier Sydney equity partners being the highest paying job with salaries of up to $850K.
- CEOs and managing directors of large businesses have an average taxable income of around $600K.
- General managers in the retail sector can earn up to $510K, though salaries in the industry vary heavily with reports ranging between $204K to $510K depending on the size of the business.
What is the average salary in Australia in 2023?
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