career

These 7 jobs have the fastest growing salaries in 2024.

2024 is the year of change and if you've been feeling the urge to switch up your career, you are certainly not alone.

Research conducted for SEEK shows that the main reason people look for a new job or change career paths is because they simply aren't getting paid enough — and doing a switch pays off, with people who changed roles scoring themselves a 1.6x greater salary increase than those who stayed in the same job.

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There are also roles out there that show a pretty impressive salary increase for those who do stay in the same job.

Considering this, we took a look at the industries in high demand this year, and focussed on the jobs that have experienced the biggest salary increases recently.

Trades — Fitter Technician.

According to data provided by SEEK, the average salary for a fitter technician in Australia is reported to be $93,400, with a notable salary growth increase of 28 percent year on year*.

Fitters examine drawings, plans, specifications and blueprints in order to fit, assemble and shape machinery parts and equipment. There are quite a few types of fitters, including general fitters, mechanical fitters, maintenance fitters, and fitters and turners.

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Logistics — Aircraft Maintenance Engineer.

Being a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer can be lucrative, with an average annual salary of $144,000. The good thing about this profession is that it has seen a 27 per cent salary growth increase, meaning there are some promising prospects in this field.

It's important to note that to become a maintenance engineer for an aircraft, you do need to be licensed (sorry!), which requires a 48-month-long course. The job involves inspecting, fixing and maintaining the mechanical parts of planes. They check everything, from to the instruments to the radios.

Healthcare — Personal Carer.

For healthcare providers, there is more be money to made — and as a personal carer, there has been around a 25 per cent salary growth, to $62,400 a year.

If you think you're a compassionate person who could provide exceptional care to those in need, this might be the perfect job for you.

Manufacturing — Road Train Operator.

Road train operators can earn a salary of about $113,200, with a growth increase of 24 per cent.

For those who don't know, road trains are used to lug heavy loads in remote areas around Australia. They are only allowed on specific roads and these roads are usually found far out of towns and cities.

Retail — Team Leader.

A retail team leader manages the sales team, guiding their work and making sure they follow the company's sales plan. They're responsible for putting the sales strategy into action and ensuring everyone else on the team sticks to it.

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They also pay about $60,000 a year, after seeing a salary growth increase of 24 per cent.

Administration — Planner.

An administration planner, who is responsible for organising administrative tasks and schedules, earns about $82,800 per year, with salary that's grown 21 per cent.

If you're a Type A personality, with a talent for making sure processes and business operations always happen smoothly, this might just be a great career path for you to tread.

Engineering — Operations Engineer.

With a 19 per cent salary growth increase, operations engineers earn about $123,500 per annum.

You do need a bachelor's degree in engineering (or at least a related field) for this one, but these people pivotal in making sure systems function properly by streamlining deployment processes, coordinating with IT for infrastructure management, and engaging with customer support to resolve technical issues. 

So if you're the kind of person who likes making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible, a career as an operations engineer may just tickle your fancy.

Feature Image: Canva.

*Roles based on average advertised salaries for job ads listed on SEEK from Jul-Dec '22 to Jul-Dec '23.

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