The lowest paying jobs are often in food service, hospitality, and personal care, including roles like dishwashers, fast-food workers, waiters, hosts/hostesses, housekeeping cleaners, laundry workers, parking attendants, childcare workers, animal caretakers, and farmhands, which involve direct customer service, physical labor, or repetitive tasks, typically paying hourly wages at or near minimum wage levels.
Here are some of the lowest-paid jobs in Australia:
Hospitality and catering jobs offer the lowest wages
These dominate the bottom of the entire chart: bar staff (£20,837), waiters and waitresses (£21,588), kitchen and catering assistants (£21,716), leisure and theme park attendants (£22,386), cooks (£22,282), and bar and catering supervisors (£23,421).
Yes, $36 an hour (around $75k annually) is a solid wage in Australia, generally considered good as it's above the minimum wage and near or slightly above the median earnings for many full-time roles, providing a comfortable living, though it's below the average for higher-paid professionals, depending on location and lifestyle needs.
$70,000 a year is approximately $33.65 per hour, assuming a standard 40-hour workweek and 52 weeks of work per year, calculated by dividing the annual salary by 2,080 working hours ($70,000 / 2,080 = $33.65).
The average Australian full-time worker is now earning more than $2000 a week for the first time in history. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show the average ordinary full-time weekly earnings for adults hit $2011.40 before tax in May.
The poverty line in Australia is generally defined as 50 per cent of median household income. If someone was earning less than the below amounts (including a government income) in 2022, they were classed as below the poverty line: $454 a week for a single person. $725 for a sole parent with two children.
1: Shampooer. The worst-paying job on the list is shampooers. They work in hair salons washing and rinsing customers' hair. Mean hourly wages are $14.07 and mean annual wages are $29,260.
Yes, 2-hour shifts can be legal in Australia, especially for casual employees, but it depends heavily on the specific industry's Modern Award or Enterprise Agreement (EBA), as many awards mandate a minimum shift length (often 2, 3, or 4 hours), meaning even if you work less, you get paid for the minimum. Full-time or permanent part-time employees generally have longer minimum shift obligations, but casuals often have specific minimums, like 2 hours in cleaning or 3 hours in retail, with exceptions.
11 lowest paying jobs
Technically, the least common jobs in the U.S. are those that don't exist anymore—ice cutters, town criers, switchboard operators, and other gigs that society has progressed past the need for. Of the jobs that people still actually have, though, wood patternmaking just might be the rarest.
Yes, $50 an hour ($98,800/year) is a very good wage in Australia, significantly above the average full-time salary and national median earnings, offering a solid income for comfortable living, even in expensive cities, and is common in skilled trades, healthcare, and tech, though high living costs in major centers require careful budgeting.
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) for each “ordinary hour worked” has been increased from 1 March 2025 by 4.4% from R27,58 per hour to R28,79 per hour. Domestic workers: Assuming a work month of 22 days x 8 hours per day, R28,79 per hour equates to R230,32 per day or R5067,04 per month.
Many jobs in Australia pay over $100,000 annually, including roles in IT, Healthcare (like Surgeons, Dentists, Psychologists), Engineering (Mining, Aerospace, Building), Construction Management, Finance (Accountants, Managers), Law, Sales (Business Development, Account Managers), and specialized trades (Pilots, Drillers, Electricians), often requiring degrees, certifications, or significant experience and skill, though some technical or trade roles can reach this income without a university degree through vocational training.
According to SEEK research, Australia's lowest wage jobs include: Kitchen hands and waitstaff. Retail workers. Fruit pickers.
Minimum Wage. The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Many states also have minimum wage laws.
The average monthly cost of living in Australia for a single person typically ranges from AUD 2,000 to AUD 3,000 (₹1.15L–₹1.74L), including rent.
25 of the Lowest Paying Jobs
Young workers and the minimum wage
Aged 16, you should get 47.3%, or $11.80 an hour. Aged 17, you should get 57.8%, or $14.42 an hour. Aged 18, you should get 68.3%, or $17.04 an hour. Aged 19, you should get 82.5%, or $20.58 an hour.
$100,000/year is above an average salary and if you're frugal enough, on $100,000/year, you should be able to live a good life and save some money too. Usually if you consider living in desirable locations of cities like Melbourne and Sydney, most of your income will be consumed in the house rents.
In many places, $1,000 a week is a good income, covering expenses and allowing savings. However, costs vary, so maximizing profit margins and reducing expenses is key. Is $1,500 a week good money? Yes, $1,500 a week translates to $78,000 a year, the average US income.
For families with children, 20k is generally not enough because of school related expenses, larger rental homes, higher utilities and everyday necessities. Unless a family has a job offer lined up or support from relatives in Australia, they may struggle with a 20k starting fund.