Salary guide

Search our job profiles for pay and entry information

Find pay rates, pay ranges, entry requirements and job chances for over 400 jobs in our job profiles.

• Job profiles - pay, entry requirements and opportunities 

Find average pay rates for jobs advertised recently

Find average pay for full-time jobs advertised recently on Seek and Trade Me by category. 

• Seek website - salary guide
• Trade Me website - salary guide

Higher qualifications usually lead to higher incomes and better chances of employment, but your school subjects, skills and talents also affect your income. 

NCEA

NCEA Level 2 and University Entrance (UE) usually lead to higher incomes than no school qualifications.

• People with NCEA Level 2 on average earn 30% more, nine years later, as those in work who left school at the same time without qualifications.
• People with UE earn on average 25% more than those with NCEA Level 2.

Tertiary study and apprenticeships

Tertiary qualifications usually lead to higher incomes, particularly qualifications at Level 4 or above.

Apprenticeships usually lead to higher incomes in the short term than university qualifications.

• Soon after qualifying, people who've completed an apprenticeship often earn more than university graduates.
• 12 years after qualifying, university graduates' total earnings are usually more than those with trade qualifications like apprenticeships.

Subjects also affect incomes

Performing and visual arts graduates usually earn less than graduates qualified in subjects like engineering, law, accounting, banking, computer science and medicine. 

Find out which qualifications lead to higher salaries

The Compare Study Options tool shows earnings and employment rates for graduates with different qualifications.

• Compare Study Options

Your personal skills and talents can affect your income

Qualifications don't make a difference to some people's income. 

• One in five people with no qualifications earn more than the average income for graduates.
• Around a third of graduates earn on average less than people with school qualifications only.

• Ministry of Education website - Education and Earnings, a New Zealand update
• Sweet Analytics website - Income outcomes of tertiary pathways 
• Universities New Zealand website - How doctorates tip the scales in a student's favour

Your pay can be affected by:

• the economy, the demand for workers when you're looking for a job, your region, industry, employer and role
• being a mother
• how well you negotiate your starting pay.

Most employers expect you to negotiate your salary when they make a job offer. This is a good way to increase your income.

• Negotiate your pay before you take a job 

Although income is important, so is finding a job you will be good at and enjoy.

These tools can help you find a job you'll love.

• CareerQuest - take a quiz of your interests and find job ideas
• Skill Matcher - job ideas based on your skills
• Subject Matcher -  job ideas based on your school subjects

• Employment New Zealand website - information about minimum wage rates
• The Conversation website -  How parenthood continues to cost women more than men

Sources

• Scott, D, 'Education and Earnings, a New Zealand Update', June 2020, (www.educationcounts.govt.nz).
• Sorted, 'Get Paid What You're Worth and Close the Gender Pay Gap', 2 May 2022, (www.sorted.org.nz).
• Statistics New Zealand, 'Earnings by Year, Sex, Ethnic Group and Age', (stats.govt.nz).

This page was updated on 3 July 2023 with new research findings and new links.