The guide reveals that local professionals working in Australia earn on average $A157,710 per annum. This outstrips second placed Norway at $A147,110 per year equivalent by some margin. New Zealand has moved up to third in the list from eighth in last year’s guide at $A123,010 per annum.
Imported oil and gas professionals in Australia now earn $A164,840 per year on average.
The salary guide, which bases its figures on more than 25,000 industry professionals across the globe, states the worldwide average salary now stands at $A84,160 per year equivalent, an increase of 8.5 per cent on the previous year.
The Australasian region is paying contractors more than any other region in the world for all five of the expertise levels surveyed.
Australasian-based professionals at technician level can expect daily wages of about $A665, and this progresses up to those at Vice President-Director level who can expect to earn an average of $A1,530 per day.
Hays Oil & Gas Managing Director Matt Underhill said “The region’s major projects, particularly those in LNG, have once again maintained Australia at the top of the world in terms of compensation.
“The Guide does reveal signs of a slowdown in salary growth for both imported and local labour in Australia which may be a sign that the market has passed its peak in terms of demand for specialist oil and gas skills. However, this should come as some comfort to operators who have experienced lower rates of return due to spiralling costs.”
