So Who Is Really Raking In The Big Bucks?

According to news.com.au some of the highest weekly paid workers in 2008 were as follows: engineering manager ($2562), general manager ($2276), research and development manager ($2172), financial dealer ($1976), anesthetist ($1957), mining engineer ($1955), surgeon ($1953), legislator ($1950), psychiatrist ($1909) and internal medicine specialist ($1897).  

On the other hand some of the lowest paid weekly workers were as follows: florist ($493), pharmacy sales assistant ($518), fast food cook ($520), livestock farmer ($523), cafe worker ($523), cook ($539), waiter ($541), mixed crop and livestock farmer ($543), checkout operator, office cashier ($546) and sewing machinist ($554).

Two years on which occupation is really bringing in the bucks?  According to a report from the AAP, an anonymous anesthetist leaked the news that some eye specialists were earning up to $28,000 a day. The average annual payment that an ophthalmologist receives from Medicare is $585,000 of which $154,000 is from cataract procedures only.  The highest paid ophthalmologist received at least $1 million dollars through Medicare in 2009.  The International Federation of Health Funds 2009 showed that Australian ophthalmologists were the highest paid in the world, receiving double their counterparts in the United States of America.

What about in the international job market, which occupations are the highest paying? Chief executives, family and general practitioners, pharmacists, psychiatrists, prosthodontists, orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, obstetricians and gynaecologists, internists, anaesthesiologists, judges, lawyers, air traffic controllers, marketing managers, natural science managers, computer and information systems managers, Software developers and engineers all made the rich list.  The average annual salaries for these positions are over $150,000.

What about foreign workers?  The highest paid expatriates are in the mining sector, with an average annual salary of $125,000, while those in the hospitality industry are on salaries starting at $49,000 per year.  Computing professionals, registered nurses, doctors, and business and information professionals were the top four occupations for temporary overseas workers. Despite the strong demand for workers such as welders, civil engineers and motor mechanics ranked further down the list.

So if you are thinking of a job that has a high paying salary that will give a shot of being a millionaire, look no further than health and medical industry.