Medical Professionals are Australia’s highest paid, ATO data reveals; check top-paying jobs in the country

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has released the data on the tax return data of millions of Aussies during financial year 2022-23, giving a glimpse of the massive incomes garnered by some professions. The data has also thrown light upon the highest-paying jobs in the country.

The list is led by surgeons who have managed to retain the top spot, earning more than $470,000 per year on average. There are reportedly only 4,247 surgeons in the country, which signifies that they are minting more than six times the average taxable income of $74,240 over the same period.

The second position in the ATO list was also bagged by medical professionals, with anesthesiologists who took home $447,193 on average annually. Notably, there are a mere 3,658 workers across the country.


In the third spot, following two taken by healthcare professionals, come financial dealers, who were the highest-paid non-medical role. They earned an average of $355,233 a year with a workforce of 5,147 people across the country. Financial dealers carry out financial market transactions on behalf of clients and include stockbrokers.

According to the 2022-23 ATO data, the top-paying job with the most people was chief executive officers and managing directors. There were a whopping 231,103 people in this job amassing an average of around $194,987 a year.

What are the highest-paid jobs in Australia?

It is pertinent to mention that the list of highest-paying jobs during the financial year 2022-23 remained the same as in previous income years, but notably, incomes have gone up for most professions.

List of the top 10 highest-paid jobs and how much their incomes have increased since the previous year's statistics

• Surgeon: $472,475 (up $12,119)
• Anaesthetists: $447,193 (up $16,000)
• Financial dealer: $355,233 (down $18,500)
• Internal medicine specialist: $342,457 (up $1,728)
• Psychiatrist: $286,146 (up $9,601)
• Other medical practitioners: $259,802 (up $4,048)
• Mining engineer: $206,423 (down $7,942)
• Judicial or other legal professional: $206,408 (up $1,474)
• Chief executive officer or managing director: $194,987 (down $2,733)
• Financial investment advisor or manager: $191,986 (up $6,152)

According to the latest ATO data, the average Australian income was $74,240 a year. This was up from $72,327 a year. The median income was $55,868 for the 2022-23 income tax. This was up from $53,041 per year from the year prior.