12 High-Paying Unskilled Jobs In Australia (With Salaries)

Updated 26 July 2023

Many high-paying careers don't always have formal employment requirements for a university degree. Some careers that don't require degrees may still have extensive employment requirements, such as several years of experience in a similar role. By reviewing a list of high-paying jobs that don't require a degree, you can determine one that suits your personality and professional aspirations. In this article, we define high-paying unskilled jobs in Australia and provide a detailed list of some of these careers, along with their national average salary and primary duties.

What are high-paying unskilled jobs in Australia?

High-paying unskilled jobs in Australia refer to careers that don't require a university degree and provide a competitive salary. It can be important to understand that the term unskilled doesn't refer to a job that requires no skills. Every job, regardless of its responsibilities and function, requires skills. They may require soft skills, technical skills or a combination of both. An unskilled job means there aren't formal employment requirements for a degree. Unskilled jobs may still require qualifications though, such as a diploma or certificate, but these qualifications are typically shorter than a degree.

It can be helpful to understand that employment requirements for some careers aren't standard within an industry. For example, a university degree for an applications developer might be an employment requirement for one company, while another company may accept you without a degree. While some careers don't require degrees, a degree can still improve your employability. Gaining employment in a high-paying unskilled job without a degree might require extensive work experience. For example, you might become a construction manager without a university degree, but you typically require many years of experience in the construction industry.

12 high-paying jobs that don't require a degree

Before reviewing a list of high-paying unskilled jobs, it can be beneficial to understand these careers might require a degree, depending on the hiring company. They may also require many other employment attributes, such as experience, certificates, diplomas, soft skills and technical skills. Below, you can explore 12 high-paying careers that don't always require a university degree, along with their national average salaries and primary duties:

1. Social media manager

National average salary: $83,211 per year

Primary duties: A social media manager oversees an organisation's strategies and interactions with the public through social media platforms. Many organisations use social media to engage with the public and implement marketing strategies. These strategies can help an organisation improve its brand awareness, online presence, lead generation and brand personality. A social media manager may implement and monitor these strategies. They may also review the performance of social media strategies to ensure they benefit the organisation.

2. Driller

National average salary: $87,815 per year

Primary duties: A driller is an individual who operates a drill rig. Several rigs incorporate varying operating responsibilities, but their overall function typically remains the same. They may operate a reverse cycle, diamond core and air-core drill rig. A driller's primary responsibilities are typically to monitor pressure gauges, water levels and sample qualities. They also supervise drilling offsiders who provide physical assistance to the driller, such as collecting samples, changing drill bits and swapping drill rods. Drillers often have excellent awareness and ensure the drilling operation is safe for offsiders, technicians and geologists.

3. Safety consultant

National average salary: $96,090 per year

Primary duties: A safety consultant, also known as a health and safety occupational (OHS) officer, is an individual who ensures employees have the resources they require to conduct their responsibilities safely. They also review the organisation's culture and working environment to identify hazards and elements that can cause harm to employees. A safety consultant implements and reviews safety, compensation, claims and injury policies. If an employee requires help or information regarding policies, a safety consultant may help the employee and explain relevant processes.

4. Senior care worker

National average salary: $96,249 per year

Primary duties: A senior care worker assists the elderly by helping them with daily activities. These activities can include personal administrative tasks, such as showering, dressing, cooking and eating. A senior care worker may also assist the elderly with recreational and social activities, such as games nights, walks and shopping. Along with physical help, they may also provide emotional support by listening to their patients and engaging in social interactions.

5. Applications developer

National average salary: $98,053 per year

Primary duties: An application developer has many responsibilities throughout the development cycle of a software application. They build and design an application's framework through program language coding. An application developer also monitors and reviews the application's performance to ensure it's operating as intended. If technology advances and the application still uses outdated functions, they may perform upgrades that advance the application's performance and functionality. An application manager typically operates within a team of software developers to ensure the development project meets the deliverables and satisfies the customers' needs.

6. Site supervisor

National average salary: $101,806 per year

Primary duties: A site supervisor usually visits construction sites to identify hazards, implement safety procedures, inspect equipment and monitor construction progress. They might specialise in residential, commercial or civil construction projects. A site supervisor typically works closely with OHS and senior management to ensure the construction site meets local and national standards. If sub-contractors or construction personnel have an issue or experience a problem on-site, they typically contact the site supervisor to inform them and receive direction.

7. Security manager

National average salary: $110,222 per year

Primary duties: A security manager typically oversees the security operation of varying buildings, projects, events and services. They usually work on-site or remotely, reviewing security cameras and responding to emergencies or threats. A security manager may have varying responsibilities depending on their employer. Some managers may develop and implement security procedures for an emergency. Other security managers train employees and contractors on how to respond and react to different scenarios. They might gain employment in casinos, event grounds, construction developments, hotels, banks and large public complexes.

8. Recruitment manager

National average salary: $115,489 per year

Primary duties: A recruitment manager specialises in recruiting new employees for an organisation. They may have several responsibilities that typically include developing recruitment procedures, supervising recruitment teams and monitoring recruitment budgets and metrics. A recruitment manager usually operates in a human resource (HR) department and may have different responsibilities depending on the department's scope. In small departments, they might focus on candidate screening, while in large departments they might analyse financial metrics of recruitment. These metrics can include cost-per-hire, time-to-fill, offer acceptance rate and interview-to-hire ratio.

9. Human resource manager

National average salary: $118,000 per year

Primary duties: A human resource manager typically oversees an HR department. These departments can incorporate many individuals, such as administrators, recruiters, assistants and employee relations specialists. Depending on the size of the HR department, an HR manager might have varying responsibilities. They typically develop and implement workplace policies, mediate conflicts, conduct performance reviews, on-board employees and develop recruitment strategies. If an HR department is relatively large, it might incorporate specialists who conduct some of these responsibilities. In this situation, an HR manager may focus on administrative management.

10. Underground miner

National average salary: $120,399 per year

Primary duties: An underground miner is a broad term defining an individual who conducts responsibilities in underground mining environments. Underground miners can include machine operators, blast specialists, drillers, mechanics and technicians. Their responsibilities may vary, but most conduct tasks to extract minerals in underground tunnels and ensure machinery operates as intended. Underground mining can be hazardous, physical and often uncomfortable. For this reason, underground miners usually receive higher pay than other mining professionals. Underground miners often receive excellent safety training and possess extensive awareness skills.

11. Project manager

National average salary: $125,052 per year

Primary duties: A project manager oversees the activities and performance of a project. The activities they oversee can depend on the project. A project manager can be a broad term that encompasses many industries, from software development and marketing to construction and engineering. Regardless of the industry, they typically conduct similar responsibilities, such as reviewing team member performance, resolving issues, planning work breakdown structures and monitoring budgets. Their overall function can be to ensure the project team meets the project deliverables.

12. Construction manager

National average salary: $171,341 per year

Primary duties: A construction manager is a senior management position within a construction company. Depending on the company and project scopes, they may have many responsibilities. A construction manager may interpret building plans, estimate labour and material costs, liaise with local councils, submit plans to local authorities and procure materials and resources for the project.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

12 High-Paying Unskilled Jobs In Australia (With Salaries)

What are high-paying unskilled jobs in Australia?

12 high-paying jobs that don't require a degree

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