What you earn could shape a lot of your life. From where you live, and what you can afford or the lifestyle you can afford, to how much financial stress you carry. So the potential earning capacity for careers you’re interested in, is worth considering. At the same time, salary is just one piece of the puzzle. You’ll spend a large chunk of your waking life at work, so it’s worth finding something that suits you and that you’ll enjoy or find rewarding, not just something that pays well.
With that in mind, if you’re curious about what different jobs really pay, here’s some tips on how to research it properly, without getting misled by figures that don’t tell always the full story.
Why the numbers can be misleading
Not all salary figures are created equal. The most commonly quoted number is the average salary, but averages could be skewed heavily by a small number of very high earners. A handful of people at the top of a profession can pull the average up considerably, making a typical salary look better than it actually is for most people working in that field.
A more useful figure is the median salary – the middle point, a figure that represents where half of workers earn more and half earn less. Think of it like a line of 100 people arranged in order of income. The average is calculated from taking everyone’s figures combined, but the median is simply what the person in the middle earns. For most roles, those two numbers can be quite different. So when you’re researching, always look for the median figure if it’s available, it’ll give you the most realistic idea of what to expect.
Location matters more than you might think
Salaries for the same job can vary significantly depending on where you live – not just between countries, but between cities and regions within a country. A nurse in London will typically earn more than a nurse in a rural town, partly because the cost of living is higher and partly because of local demand. However, here in Australia a nurse in Sydney generally earns less than a nurse working in a remote location like Katherine in the NT.
This means it’s important to look up salary information for your specific location, or where you’re planning on working, not just national figures. A national average might look appealing, but if you’re planning to live somewhere with a lower cost of living, or a less competitive job market, the real figures could look quite different.
Where to look: reliable sources by country
The quality of salary information varies a lot depending on where you find it. Random job ads or forums can give you a rough sense, but they’re often incomplete or biased. The most reliable sources are government labour market databases and well-established recruitment industry guides, which draw on large data sets updated regularly.
Here are some solid starting points, depending on where you are:
In Australia the Jobs and Skills Atlas is a government tool that lets you explore salary and employment data by state and region. New Zealand‘s Tahatū is the Government’s national career information and exploration service, head to the Careers Navigator for information about careers, salaries, and training requirements.
In the United Kingdom the National Careers Service – Explore Careers database is the UK government’s official careers resource, which includes salary information for hundreds of job profiles, sourced from the Office for National Statistics.
Canada has the Job Bank – Wages the Canadian government’s official tool, which lets you search median wages by occupation at the national, provincial and regional levels.
For any country, there will be tools and websites similar to the examples above that you can use to research salaries for different jobs across regions. Bear in mind that Government sources while being detailed and accurate sometimes lag slightly behind the current market.
You could also look at online recruitment sites such as SEEK which you can filter, showing job opportunities in different areas and the salaries you could expect to earn, as well as qualifications and/or experience that’s required.
Other things worth considering
Beyond the headline figures, a few other factors are worth keeping in mind when you’re researching salaries:
Experience and qualifications affect pay significantly. Most salary databases will show a range with entry-level at one end and experienced professionals at the other. Where you fall in that range will depend on your qualifications, how long you’ve been working, and the specific employer. Starting salaries are often well below the median, so factor that in when you’re planning ahead. You might be able to filter some databases to show you entry level salaries only, or graduate salaries, which could be helpful if you have a specific pathway in mind.
Industry and sector matter too. The same job title can pay very differently depending on who’s employing you. A graphic designer at a large tech company might earn considerably more than one working for a small local business, even in the same city.
Benefits and conditions are part of the package. Salary is only part of what you’re paid. Superannuation (or pension contributions), leave entitlements, flexible working, training opportunities and job security all have real financial value. Two jobs with the same salary might look very different once you factor everything in.
Salaries change over time. Labour markets shift. Jobs that are in high demand right now might be more competitive in five or ten years, and vice versa. When you’re researching, pay attention to whether a role has strong future prospects. Government databases often include employment outlook data alongside salary figures.
Find out more
Salary research should be one part of exploring your career options. There are lots of factors to take into consideration if you’re researching your future in the workforce.
If you want to dig deeper into the world of work, our Jobs & Careers section has plenty of resources to help you think through your options – including job profiles, career ideas, and practical advice on getting started. It’s well worth a look.
