Revealing how much you earn has historically been considered a taboo, shared rarely and in hushed corners of the office as disgruntled workers compare notes. But it appears to be taking a turn, with younger generations of Australians happily divulging their wage.
GetAhead is an employment service that works like a dating app, and CEO Sam McNamara told Yahoo Finance they’ve made a point of making sure pay transparency is a big part of what they offer. All employers need to list their pay, or they won’t make it on and he said some big businesses that initially baulked, ended up listing with them weeks later.
“We are headed to a point where it will be 100 per cent completely transparent, and I think it will make for a fairer workplace. Especially in jobs like retail and hospitality, how can one store pay the same role a lot more than another. It just makes sense,” he said.
Representatives for the app took to the streets to ask random Aussies what they are being paid and a bit about what their job is like. From supermarket workers and tradies, to nurses, debt collectors and even a sugar baby, here are the details on what these 12 Aussies make.
Worker's wages can vary depending on someone's age, experience and role, but it's not often people speak so openly about their pay. Here's a family business operator, nurse, Aldi checkout assistant and a treasury analyst. (Source: GetAhead)
Registered nurse: $45 an hour x 32 hours a week
This nurse didn’t enjoy working in hospitals and now does Monday to Thursday with a GP after completing a university degree.
She candidly admits she does not enjoy the role, noting she hopes to move into sonography, but has struggled to get a limited placement in the field.
“Patients are the worst creatures I’ve ever met in my life. I’ve worked in hospitality and retail, and health care is the worst,” she said, describing abuse she’d faced from ice-affected patients “throwing knives”.
“Give me the guy who complains about his steak anyday.”
Treasury analyst and small business owner: ‘$140k a year’
This woman works for an ASX-listed company and looks after the “cashflow, liquidity and funding for all the regions”. She admits it took “a lot of study”, completing a bachelor degree and a masters in finance and she is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
On top of this, she also runs The DIY Bride, her own side hustle she promotes through TikTok.
After creating the gift bags for her own wedding, people started asking her how she did it and “and it just grew from there.”
She loves both jobs and is leaving her options open to “see where it goes” in the future.
Aldi: ‘$28.50 an hour part-time’
The 18-year-old checkout worker says he enjoys working at the supermarket because it keeps him on his toes.
“It’s really good pay compared to anyone else and I just like talking to people.”
He boasts a scan rate of 90 units a minute, that's more than one a second.
“It’s tracked how quickly you go through it, that’s why you have to be quick.”
Comparatively, his mate works in Target casually and says he makes $21 an hour.
Blind installer: ‘$120,000 a year but about to take over the family business’
His parents have run the business for nearly 30 years and he’d dabbled with them as a kid but, after “playing up a bit”, he’s gone full-time.
He admits working in a family-run business can be “stressful”.
“It can make you turn on your family a bit but, if you assert your dominance a little bit, you can get where you want to go.”
Workers are opening up about what they get paid. Here, a scaffolder, sugar baby, optometrist and Commonwealth Bank specialist detail their wages and job. (Source: GetAhead)
Scaffolder: $3k a week after tax
This former McDonald's worker was lured into construction about three-and-a-half years ago by his brother-in-law and now works about 56 hours a week.
“The most I’ve worked was about 80 [hours] so you do a lot of overtime and that’s where the money comes into play.”
He said there was a lot of training involved, including a building course, but that he’d used skills gained in his hospitality past, like respecting others you work with, to get ahead.
Sugar baby: ‘Won’t disclose exactly, but it’s good’
This young woman traded in her hospitality job and now receives a cash allowance and gifts “as I need it” from a 45-year-old business owner she has been seeing for about a year.
She said the most she’d received in a week was “a necklace, couple of rings and a bracelet”, which would’ve been worth a “couple thousand”.
She admits this isn’t really “work”, and says that, in five years, she wants to be in a similar position “killing it even more”.
Commonwealth Bank: $75k a year
The customer-banking specialist is also juggling full-time study, completing a dual law and commerce degree at the University of Queensland.
He says there are a lot of people working there who don’t have a finance or business background and that it’s a good start for someone looking to get into a “corporate lifestyle”.
“It’s an entry-level job - anyone can get it - and it’s a foot in the door at a Big Four [bank] so can’t
complain.”
In five years, he isn’t sure if he will be working in finance or law, but will have the options.
Optometry: “Between $100k and $112k a year”
This man had a long slog to get to where he landed, doing eight years of study and a two-year internship.
“My parents didn’t give me a choice, said it was either go to law school or go to med school.”
Despite the push toward the job, he says he loves it. His favourite part? Meeting new people every day.
Australians are breaking taboo and talking about what they get paid. Here, a barber, plumbing apprentice, debt collector and cook reveal their wages. (Source: GetAhead)
Apprentice plumber: ‘About a grand a week’
This young Aussie was an admin worker for seven years, but “didn’t enjoy sitting at a desk” all day and made the change after the pandemic.
Keeps me busy, on my feet, active.
She found entering the male-dominated industry straightforward and described the environment as quite supportive.
“Some of the blokes are really helpful, even if it’s not your job-specific advice, they’ve got a bit of life experience they can share.”
In five years, she hopes to be a fully fledged tradie with prospects of becoming a “leading hand” and the potential to make a bit over a $100k a year.
Barber: ‘$130k a year working 7 days’
This hustler started working in the industry at 14 and is now doing 11 haircuts a day. He charges $35 per cut and has styled the locks of NRL player Reece Walsh.
He says it takes dedication to succeed in the industry.
“You’ve got to be committed - I am working 7 days a week.”
Debt collector: ‘90-something-k a year’
She’s studying to become a psychologist, but in the meantime has taken on a “really rewarding” job collecting debt for Australians who have realised they’ve not been paid super by their employers.
“We contact people to try and get the money back. [They] do all these things to try and search for people because they try to hide.”
She applied for the job randomly on a government website and has been in it three years and has worked her way up. Her friend, who has only been in the job about three months, is making about $60,000 a year.
Cook: ‘$32 an hour at 35 hours’
Starting as a dishwasher, this cook has worked his way up the ranks and is now “running a kitchen, somewhat”, all without any formal qualifications.
He hopes to one day travel and work as a head chef, which could net him between $50 and $120 an hour, depending on his experience and where he works.
He says cooking is a great opportunity for people not wanting to study.
