How good are the earnings figures on www.whatjobspay.com.au?
Since the 1990s, the earnings figures from the What Jobs Pay and Job Markets Australia series have been accepted as a fair and reasonable guide to average weekly full-time earnings by occupation and age. This holds for litigated matters before the Courts, perhaps following a motor vehicle accident, in workers compensation jurisdictions, in other administrative fields (such as child support), and in a wide range of careers guidance and employment placement services. The series is the most comprehensive of its kind and has no Australian counterpart.
What are the advantages of using the www.whatjobspay.com.au earnings?
The current and historical statistics have been produced to a soundly-based methodology that has proved itself over time. The methodology utilizes the authoritative statistics produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (see Sources in the Toolbar for more details). The www.whatjobspay.com.au earnings illustrate the increase, decrease or stability in average weekly full-time earnings for new entrants and middle to older age-groups in a specific occupation or occupational group. The given earnings can also be compared to, or contrasted with, the outcomes for other occupations or groups in the same or another industry or with a higher, lower or similar skill level.
Why and how were earnings calculated for the missing years in the series since 1988 and prior to 1988?
The What Jobs Pay and Job Markets Australia series did not have earnings figures for 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1997 and 1999. Lawyers and other professionals enquired about a complete series and then requested earnings figures from the late 1970s, the latter in connection with civil claims arising from child sexual assault cases, following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. In late 2019 the methodology was augmented in order to generate earnings figures in the missing and earlier years (from 1978 to 1987). This involved utilizing the all occupations average in the Bureau’s Average Weekly Earnings series. Relativities were set between that average for the adjacent or nearest years and then applied to the Bureau’s published average for the missing and earlier years, thereby producing estimated earnings for those years. The estimation, while very broad in scope, permits calculation of average weekly full-time earnings by occupation and age that would otherwise not be available. The application of the 1988 set of relativities through to 1978 needs heaviest qualification.
Some earnings figures look very low . . . why is that?
The methodology does understate the average for experienced workers in the top paid occupations. It is very apparent, for example, for Medical Specialists, Judges, Miners, and Barristers. It does lead to reasonable understatement in other occupations where a reasonable proportion of workers, usually in the over 30s group, have weekly incomes well above $3,500. Where that proportion is not great (that is, more than 15%), the impact remains at the margin and does not seriously reduce the utility of the average earnings in most instances.
Why do average earnings fall (or rise) quickly in some occupations?
Falls and rises from year-to-year can at times be significant. They may be due to the survey-basis of the Bureau’s updating earnings, but they may also reflect variations in actual pay for an occupation due to changes in prevailing industry conditions. An updating figure that is overstated (or conversely, understated) in one year is generally corrected the following year.
Do the earnings apply to self-employment?
The average weekly full-time earnings by age and occupation in the What Jobs Pay and Job Markets Australia earnings series are estimates. Since 2016, the estimates rely on the most detailed employee earnings figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Characteristics of Employment survey. Before 2016, reliance was placed on the Bureau’s Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership survey and preceding employee earnings surveys. Because of the reliance on employeeearnings data, the average weekly full-time earnings by age and occupation in the What Jobs Pay and Job Markets Australia earnings series best reflect market rate earnings for employees. Depending on the occupation, individual or situational factors, and the form of self-employment (ranging from working on own account to owner manager of an incorporated entity with many employees), the stated earnings may or do have utility when determining achievable earnings for self-employed persons by age and occupation.
Which ASCO occupations don’t have any earnings?
No reliable figures are available for Mechanical Engineering Technologist, a small occupation, or for Apprentices in nine relatively small trades such as glass blowing, gem cutting and polishing and confectionery making.
Which ANZSCO occupations don’t have any earnings?
Primary Health Organisation Manager had no reliable earnings figures from 2006 to 2010, but it has them from 2011. Having very few or no jobs in Australia, Bungy Jump Masters, Hunting Guides, Mountain or Glacier Guides and Trekking Guides have no earnings figures nationally from 2006 onwards. The States have proportionately more occupations without any reliable earnings figures, as well as more occupations with fewer reliable age-group figures.
Why are there age-groups in particular occupations without earnings figures?
Where it was not possible to generate a reliable average, the age-group/s will show “n.a.”, meaning not available. (Age-groups with no workers also show “n.a.”.)
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