Bright sparkies bolt home in year's pay rounds

By HELEN TUNNAH

Highly qualified electricians have joined general managers as the big winners in pay rounds over the past year.

While wage rates for electricians boom, petrol mechanics have had a lean year, according to the National Salary and Wage Survey.

The survey revealed an average 6 per cent wage rise for electricians , whose basic pay went up to $43,787. But petrol mechanics' wages fell 6.2 per cent to around $31,734.

Neither group kept up with electronics technicians or managing directors, who gained 14 per cent and 11.3 per cent, the survey, by the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern), said.

Electronics technicians, experienced and highly qualified electricians, now earn around $45,239 a year.

Their salaries pale in comparison to both general managers and managing directors. The former, in companies with fewer than 50 staff, enjoyed an 8.7 per cent pay rise to earn an average $91,100, while managing directors in businesses with 50-199 staff earned $142,206.

Survey manager Graeme Perfect said pay rates were rising fastest in areas where skills were in short supply. "Despite short-term fluctuations, higher qualifications and skills will invariably translate into higher pay over time," Mr Perfect said.

The big losers in the survey were marketing/business development managers, whose 14 per cent increase of a year ago turned into a 3.4 per cent fall this year, although they still make around $86,110.

Analyst programmers, road transport drivers and unskilled warehouse workers all had pay drops.

Winners and losers in pay stakes


Winners


electronics technicians

electricians

general managers

managing directors

Losers


petrol mechanics

marketing/business development managers

analyst programmers

road transport drivers

unskilled warehouse workers