Whats a Good Job/Salary?

Trying2SaveABuck on 14/03/2017 - 14:49
Last edited 14/03/2017 - 15:40 by 1 other user

In recent years housing affordability questions have been met by politicians saying the first thing people need to do is "get a good job" implying that people of the next generation need to be making a 'good wage' to be able to buy houses where they want.

The average income in Australia for a full-time employee is around $79,000 or 82,000 if you include bonuses.
https://www.livingin-australia.com/salaries-australia/

I want to know what people think is good wage?

I always thought around 95-120k was solid but maybe im wrong?

As housing and cost of living our wages have not increase in proportion with is and i want to know what people think a good wage for a full-time 38-40 hours a week worker should be?

And if you are game

what do you do and what do you earn? and is it enough for all you expenses? do you think your salary is fair?

Poll Options

  • 16
    0-18,000
  • 3
    18,001 - 32,000
  • 24
    32,001 - 60,000
  • 88
    60,001 - 80000
  • 66
    80,001- 100,000
  • 89
    100,001 - 120,000
  • 58
    120,001 - 180,000
  • 262
    180,000+
Education & Work

Comments

  • spriggan43 on 16/03/2017 - 00:04
    +2

    Mall Santa on 180K

  • DEvok on 16/03/2017 - 01:36
    +2

    $40-$55k is the pretty good, buy a house car and a wife with amount

  • zqipz on 16/03/2017 - 09:46

    I call the Kembla Grange races for $180k per session it's a niche market.

  • banzini on 16/03/2017 - 11:20
    +4

    bet against andy murray most games, am on 180k+

  • Hahuh on 16/03/2017 - 17:24
    +1

    60+
    80 is around the sweet spot
    100 or more is a bonus

  • No ONE on 16/03/2017 - 19:41

    Is the poll for How much do we earn or how much we think is a good wage?

    • amsaini15 on 16/03/2017 - 21:37

      It was more for people to decide what is considered good wage. I would have liked to see what most of people are earning and how do they feel.

  • reon on 16/03/2017 - 20:14
    +2

    I made 180k, reselling synthetic headlight fluid.

  • acersaurus on 16/03/2017 - 20:40
    +2

    I trade eneloops at the Sunday market bought from a Dick Smith closing down sale, on 180k plus.

  • umoddbro on 16/03/2017 - 20:52
    +2

    I live off Centrelink about 180k

  • oztite on 16/03/2017 - 21:01
    +1

    It'll never be enough.. I know a surgeon that makes $500,000 but all his colleagues live in crazy $5mil+ houses so he feels poor as even spending $50,000 a year after tax and saving $200,000 it would still take him 25 years to pay off a $5 million dollar loan, at 0% interest for all 25 years! Now before you think about how amazing a $5 million dollar house is, it simply buys you a nicely renovated normal size full block home in a "prestigious" Eastern suburb in Melbourne - not a mansion, just a nice looking house, on say 700sqm. And if you go to Sydney, it gets you a knock down job… So while I am way off, I can see how it's never enough, particularly if you are in Syd or Melb.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 17/03/2017 - 09:27

      5-10 years to pay off a house is pretty good if you consider chances are it will double in value in 7-10 years…

  • Miss B on 16/03/2017 - 22:57

    I think based on how good a lot of people think those on Newstart have it, around $14k is a good income.

    • Untameable on 17/03/2017 - 12:14

      $14k is extremely difficult to live on. Is that the max or do you also get rent assistance on top of that?

      It's still not much. But I remember struggling on it years ago.

      • Miss B on 17/03/2017 - 12:53

        I rounded up the base amount. It would be if they were paying $126/fn rent. If they're paying $232.29+ per fortnight and sharing rent costs, they would get the maximum rent assistance (more for living alone, less for each person in a couple), which would put them at $16k.

  • MrFrugalSpend on 17/03/2017 - 00:26
    +5

    I've been able to make ends meet no matter what various ranges of earning's I've been on at different times, some quite low - it just takes discipline and living within your means.

    I hate to hear my mates and colleagues whinge about their salary yet they "had to" buy that new car (again) last year and have barely paid anything off it with all the interest, and they have to have expensive new clothes and shoes all the time with no qualms putting them on a credit card they can't pay, had to get new expensive furniture because it was on this great deal "buy now, pay later - 24 months interest free", and smoke "but can quit anytime" (f..king exy these days, just quit ffs!), have no issues dropping a "few dollars" here and there in the pokies or on a bet, had to pay $20 to go to the cinema each week, and they have to have their daily coffee from the shop for $5 because its "only $5 and instant coffee takes like arse", and go out for lunch every single work day for $15 instead of packing a lunch, have to have a couple of beers each and every weeknight or a bottle of wine with dinner daily "to unwind", have got to buy cans and choc bars at a servo or vending machine for "convenience" instead of for 1/4 price from the supermarket, must have pay TV and Netflix subscriptions etc, and they can't possibly have a good time when they go out every Fri/Sat without spending $100+ plus taxi/uber home. etc etc… Not to mention its "way to much hassle" for these people to bother with Cashrewards / OzB / Vouchers / Coupon Codes / Discount Gift Cards / Shopping around for best deals etc.

    Then they blame the "rising cost of living" and low unfair pay… please.

    I'm not saying have no life at all, but whatever salary you end up on, do not ever buy something you can't pay for straight away after budgeting to cover all your essential living expenses plus a small margin of savings for a rainy day (except for real estate) and don't ever say "its only a few dollars" for a frivolous purchase you can get cheaper elsewhere with a bit of planning ahead… "Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves"

    • Soluble on 17/03/2017 - 20:01
      +1

      You have my vote! Wife and a beautiful 2 year old daughter. I work in retail, she works in reception, yet we feel wealthy? Must be something in the country air and not having to buy that $2,000,000 house!

      • banzini on 08/05/2017 - 11:47

        you da real MVP

    • zeomega on 22/03/2017 - 22:01
      +1

      This guy knows what he's talking about!

      If you can't pay it off with excess money in the bank (not including the house of course), you shouldn't be buying it at all.

  • lilchonk on 17/03/2017 - 00:56
    +1

    I beg celebrities for money 180k+.

  • slix_88 on 17/03/2017 - 02:41

    Actuary. $180k+ at 28

  • Baysew on 17/03/2017 - 11:58

    Charity Chugger - $180k+

  • Untameable on 17/03/2017 - 12:11

    I want to know what people think is good wage?1

    My mother always thought $45k was a good wage. My unskilled older brothers felt that $60k was a good wage.

    I always felt that $40-45k was a good starting wage out of University (and I remember when I applied for a job at iiNet way back when they paid above market rates but ended up only offering $37.5k and that was after I had 5 years of experience!) As your career progresses I felt that about $75k is the tipping point where you can live very comfortably renting and two people together can start saving for a house. In my own situation, as I was alone, I wasn't able to seriously save for a house deposit until I cracked $120k.

    These are west coast figures so you may need to increase them for the more expensive east coast where I believe the rents are almost double.

    I'm very surprised and extremely shocked to learn that the national average is now $80k especially when I'm a highly skilled IT worker and people still advertise below that for my position (and where I laugh at the office with others about how we'd never accept something so low, after all, I have a decade of experience). It's quite troubling.

    • MrFrugalSpend on 17/03/2017 - 12:27

      In a regional area, people are quite able to a deposit, get a loan, and buy a house with a couple each in the sub-$60k each category.

      Then idiots criticise Barnaby Joyce for trying to move public service jobs to Armidale. Have a look at other countries, far more regionalised than us, there is more to Australia and very good lifestyles outside Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane/Adelaide/Canberra/Perth CBD! Biggest problem with the supposed housing afforability and cost of living problem, is people won't diversify where they will live.

      Modern technology makes it quite possible for them to be in contact and effective at their jobs from a regional area

      • Trying2SaveABuck on 17/03/2017 - 13:42

        I'd say you make a point but there is more to a house then just a place to live. It is the things that make it a home usually people want to live in a suburb for more then just "it isnt to far from work in the city"

        Most people want to live near family especially if you got elderly parents that need support/caring for.

        Other things that influence desirability to live in certain places would be:
        - Public transport
        - Beaches/Parks etc
        - Schools
        - Shops
        - Crime rate

        The reason Barnaby is being criticized is because if you were born raised, studied and had all your family in the heart of Sydney or Melbourne CBD you couldnt afford to live there unless you where incredibility well off.

        nothing against the country the lifestyle, it can be better then the city but anyone can buy a house it is other things that make it a home for the individual Australians has resulted in a housing crisis. - it simply isnt as simple as pack up leave all you know behind and move to the country.

        • MrFrugalSpend on 18/03/2017 - 15:59

          I have done that move from coastal city to country town / small city and understand perfectly, I have complete perspective to assert that I do make a point.

          The big point you are missing is places like Armidale, Townsville, and Toowoomba and many more large regional towns do have good schools, shops, and even universities / technical colleges. Yet most of my generation of people that graduate from those schools in regional towns have to leave to move to a capital city for chasing dreams higher paid work (despite it being a false economy). 80%+ leave their families and move to the state's capital, so don't cry to me about having to move away (boo hoo it should have to be the other way around!). We need to stop that bleed from our regions to cities (just to add to housing affordability issues) before even start to worry about it being the other way around.

          In the example given, the proposal was to move the work out of the city. In that tiny example of a fundamental problem, that department works with agricultural people in vet sciences and pesticides - why does that need to be in the nation's capital?! It should never have been there in the first place then there would be no issues with individuals needing to move. People studying at Armidale uni and working in the region would have those jobs and be good at it, probably better with their improved access to the primary producers they work with.

          Most people in the capital cities in senior management positions are so self-centric they can't get it through their heads that you don't have to live in the CBD of a city to have a brain. We have such prejudice in this country against capabilities in our regions. Many of our primary industries originate from primary production, resources / energy, and transportation in regional areas. Yet we manage most of our organisations from a very small number of capital cities. Other places in the world are not like this.

          You can't tell me there aren't tens of thousands of people in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra that weren't born there! They migrate there in mass from other areas because as a nation we fail to understand as a government employer and corporate employers that work can be done in other regional areas, and we can promote regional living. We can and do have regional schools and universities that we can grow, can employ people in regional areas to do skilled work. In turn we will build regions with healthier populations, shops and improve desirability. Its simple supply and demand involving work opportunities and housing opportunities. Instead we largely offer positions and grow our modern businesses in capital cities. We fail to foster complete training / work / higher skilled & paid work / retirement lifecycles in our regions.

          I did the move to inland, best thing you can do! I don't need public transport because it takes me 4 minutes to get to work by car turning 3 corners. It takes me 10 minutes to get to all the essential shops. I don't have to worry about whether it is safe for kids to go outside as much as in a capital city.

          On "The Project" TV show they didn't get it at all, they called Armidale "unaffordable" because the ratio of earnings to house prices meant it was unaffordable as well - don't be so dumb, it was unaffordable because average wages were so low - that is exactly what Barnaby is trying to fix by creating more higher paid jobs in Armidale! They were too naive to see the point.

  • argonbay on 17/03/2017 - 15:16

    Worst job I ever had was with Jayne Mansfield…….
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a_UKKvUcoE

  • causeimbatman on 17/03/2017 - 15:44

    Brooding in my cave, $180k

  • hell0 on 17/03/2017 - 19:43

    The problem with asking this community this question is that I assume most members here have money issues so no matter how much they have they will buy random crap just because it is on special and never actually have any disposable income. Case-in-point: The huge flurry over the 10c cockroach out of bubblegum prank.

  • baker bob on 18/03/2017 - 23:03

    "first thing people need to do is "get a good job" implying that people of the next generation need to be making a 'good wage' to be able to buy houses where they want."

    The quote is incomplete, you either have 1 good job or you have 2 ordinary paying jobs but that aside you have misinterpreted. People of this generation don't need to do this, every generation past, present or future has to do this.

    I'm really sick of hearing about this new generation having to do something different to previous ones.

    My parents are baby boomers. My dad worked 7 days a week as a bricky and even now at 68 years old, he works 6 days a week. All of my relatives, being immigrants, worked either 7 days a week or multiple jobs.

    If I am lying then why do we have a baby boomer article in the news almost weekly complaining about the pension? Any one of those guys that actually worked hard fail the asset test for the pension anyways.

    As for your question about what a good wage is, work out what a good house is in your books and then talk to a mortgage broker, they will tell you exactly how much salary you need to borrow X amount from the bank and that's the good salary you are aiming for. As you can see it is all relative to what your idea of a good house is.

    • jenkemjunkie on 19/03/2017 - 10:01

      Baby boomers did have it easier. Free education if they wanted it. House prices more in line with their wages. Superannuation fund schemes like defined benefit funds or constitutionally protected funds which you most definitely can't get now. This generation does have it differently because the previous generation who got all these things are now dismantling it or have already done so. House prices have skyrocketed not in line with wage growth.

      Yeah sure I came from an immigrant family that did the hard yakka labour work, and my grandfather still gets out of bed at 5am to tend to his glasshouses…even he can admit it's f.cked with how much a house costs these days.

      • baker bob on 19/03/2017 - 10:30

        If that's the case, how come all of my friends had property in their 20's? Doesn't seem like that's harder than baby boomers to me but I guess we will have to agree to disagree there.

        At least we both acknowledge the baby boomers that did well, worked hard which is what I feel many people fail to understand these days.

        Richest man in Babylon was first published in 1926 so as far back as then the idea of doing well financially had a simple formula, work hard and stop wasting your money on shit. Writing that reminds me of another flaw in current generations….. latest iphone, latest car (on lease of course), annual holidays to a resort…….can't have your cake and eat it.

        • Baysew on 19/03/2017 - 10:38

          ….can't have your cake smashed avocado and eat it.

        • jenkemjunkie on 19/03/2017 - 13:49

          The anecdotal evidence all your friends give you isn't evidence on the state of the housing market at a macro level…housing prices have increased not in line with wage growth. The workforce has also become more heavily casualised. I'm not doing a presentation but there's many sources that can confirm this. Telling people to work harder is a platitude.

          I'm saying this as a high income, have owned my own house in my 20s, don't buy into conspicuous consumption type bloke. I actually agree with you on people wasting there money on shit…but the baby boomers did have it easier on buying property when compared to their wage at that time. I've also read the richest man in Babylon.

          I think people that accumulate lots of property and highly leverage it is a sign of greed. A house is hardly a capital asset in my eyes and many agree with this notion (Bernstein, bogle), its a place to live. It doesn't really produce anything. Sure I could invest in property - but I get better returns elsewhere, although I do have about 10% of my portfolio in REITs.

        • Trying2SaveABuck on 22/03/2017 - 09:35

          "How come all my friends had property in their 20s" - what kind of an argument is that the evidence clearly shows that it is much hard for this generation compared to the baby boomers.

          As for your friends owning property do they own it? or did the banks own it? because the big difference between this generation and past generations is that you could pay off a house with 3-10 years no problem if you worked hard and saved right due to housing prices being inline with wage growth this is certainly not the case now with the average house costing around 550-600k Melbourne/Sydney and if you only include properties 30km from the CBD it is well over a million the average Australian will only earn around 2.8 million $ in there working life…

          I have no sympathy for people saying they can't save for a deposit that is a load of bullshit even if a house is a 1 million $ 10% is 100K plus stamp duty. The average income in Aus is 80k and the average household individual expense is a bit under 20k a year to save for a deposit shouldn't take longer then 4-5 years if you are not stupid with your money. The problem is paying the loan back over 30 years is a load of shit banks should be regulated better you know that it is a load of crap when the cash rate is at 1.5% but loans can cost up to 5-6% with the big banks then they celebrate by paying the executives 8 million $ bonuses for screwing people with there bullshit insurance policy for a few $ i'd throw those mafia crooks in jail.

  • jonathonsunshine on 19/03/2017 - 17:18

    I work 5hrs x 4days x 40 weeks in Government Call centre to pull $20800. (Study as well)

  • harvey18 on 21/03/2017 - 21:35

    I honestly thought that $100k - $120k is more than enough

    • congo on 05/05/2017 - 18:13

      $200K would be more than enough.

      • harvey18 on 13/05/2017 - 00:19

        I wish..

  • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2017 - 21:50

    I once earned $2k per second (for one second).

    • congo on 05/05/2017 - 18:10

      shares?

      • harvey18 on 13/05/2017 - 00:19

        Forex? Poker? Lol

        • harvey18 on 27/07/2017 - 17:46

          drug dealer. Lol

  • banzini on 08/05/2017 - 11:48
    +1

    headphones smuggler, am on 180k+

  • Ctn on 09/05/2017 - 13:39

    Seeing all of you (nice people) on 180k+ makes me sad :(

  • Archi on 09/05/2017 - 16:28

    Uni graduate soon (21), will be entering Westpac as an Investment Analyst on 180K

  • HardForU on 10/05/2017 - 15:34

    A good job does not actually describes a good package of salary but the other employees' facilities also counts. For instance, the pension, the allowances, the medical, the conveyance etc. When all such things are combined, makes a good and decent job. But if you are asking about the salary only, so when the salary is 100k+ then it is counted as a good job.

    • tomsco on 10/05/2017 - 16:19

      Try 180K+

      • HardForU on 16/05/2017 - 15:34

        As soon as I'll get promoted, my salary will be raised… Then I'll be able to tell the difference between both ;)

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join