Revealed: Australia’s highest paying ‘six figure’ jobs requiring no degree – how some are earning nearly $170k a year
New data from job site SEEK has revealed Australia's highest-paying occupations that do not require a university degree, with some trade and technical roles now paying nearly $170,000 a year. The findings highlight that skilled trades can offer a genuine pathway to six-figure salaries, particularly as advertised pay across the country continues to climb at its fastest annual rate since February 2024.
Heavy diesel fitters top the list with an average salary of $167,210, followed by automotive electricians on $163,611, while construction site and healthcare facilities managers each earn $151,099. SEEK's chief economist, Dr Blair Chapman, said such roles are not low-skilled but demand substantial training, licensing and hands-on experience, with shortages of specialised workers in mining, construction and regional industries driving wages higher. Tasmania recorded the strongest salary growth nationally at 5.6 per cent, compared with 4.3 per cent in New South Wales.
- Trade jobs without degrees can pay up to $167,210 a year in Australia
- Diesel fitters and automotive electricians top SEEK's highest-paid list
- Skills shortages and infrastructure demand are pushing trade salaries up
New here? Start with this
Australia's job market has been analysed by employment website SEEK, which regularly tracks advertised salaries across different industries and occupations. Its latest figures focus on jobs that pay well above average without requiring a university degree, instead relying on trade qualifications, licences and practical experience gained on the job. This matters because it challenges the common assumption that a degree is the main route to a high income.
The roles highlighted include specialist trades such as heavy diesel fitters and automotive electricians, alongside management positions in construction and healthcare facilities. These jobs are concentrated in sectors like mining, construction and regional industries, where employers have struggled to find enough qualified workers, pushing wages upward. SEEK's chief economist, Dr Blair Chapman, is cited as the expert voice explaining why these roles command high pay despite not needing formal higher education.
The broader context is a period of rising advertised salaries across Australia generally, with growth rates varying by state. This wage trend feeds into wider conversations about skills shortages, the value of vocational training versus university study, and how different regions and industries are experiencing pay growth unevenly.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates of the trades-first pathway would say this data confirms something the labour market has been signalling for years: skilled trades are not a fallback option but a genuinely lucrative career, rewarding years of licensing, apprenticeship and hands-on expertise without saddling workers with university debt. They would argue that persistent shortages in mining, construction and regional industries show the economy has undervalued and under-supplied these skills, and that steering more school leavers towards trades serves both individual prosperity and national productivity, particularly outside major cities where such wages go further.
The case against
Those more cautious about this narrative would argue that headline figures like $167,000 risk being unrepresentative, likely reflecting regional loadings, overtime, fly-in-fly-out premiums or a small pool of highly specialised roles rather than the typical experience of most tradespeople. They would caution against using a handful of standout salaries to discourage young people from pursuing university education, which still offers broader long-term benefits including career flexibility, portability across industries and resilience to the boom-bust cycles that have historically affected mining- and construction-linked trade wages.