Salary Survey Australia

Train drivers and tradespeople are among the workers enjoying new-found prosperity.
Industry experts say many carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers and electricians are earning $100,000 a year, as a result of skill shortages.

Some train drivers are paid $80,000 a year, while skilled manufacturing workers can be on about $70,000.

At the top of the scale, mining workers and crane drivers can earn $120,000 or more.
The average annual wage in Australia is about $39,000.

Master Builders Association of Victoria chief executive Brian Welsh said tradesmen on commercial building sites had huge earning potential.
"The capacity to earn $100,000 for bricklayers certainly has been the case, and for carpenters it is still possible," Mr Welsh said.

Those earning the highest wages generally worked at least 52 hours a week, and received generous site allowances, he said.

A recent enterprise agreement would boost wages by 13 per cent over the next three years, he said.

Connex spokesman Andrew Cassidy said the average annual wage for a train driver in Victoria was about $60,000, but experienced drivers earned more.
He said drivers were responsible for the safety of passengers, and had to do about 70 weeks' training before they became qualified.

"I don't think (those sorts of wages) are unreasonable given the individual running a train can have up to 1000 lives in his or her hands," Mr Cassidy said.

Ford said its skilled tradespeople were paid just over $1000 each week, but with shift penalties this could rise to about $1300, or $67,600 a year.

Recent ABS figures showed the average wage for mining industry workers was about $80,000. Mine workers can boost their pay packets by a third or more with overtime and shift penalties.