Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I know and all those that are migrating know as we'll, great wages to be had in Australia for skilled migrants, that's a fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Average wages in any country means nothing You get what they offer you take it or leave it Exactly that. Averages are only ever the roughest of guides and effectively worthless to any specific individual. What order of money can you expect to be paid in your profession? is the only thing worth bothering about, and any average - UK or OZ - has no relevance to that at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Exactly that. Averages are only ever the roughest of guides and effectively worthless to any specific individual. What order of money can you expect to be paid in your profession? is the only thing worth bothering about, and any average - UK or OZ - has no relevance to that at all I totally disagree, people who are migrating, or coming back to the UK like to assess what the costs of living are in each country, there's two ways it can be done, using the exchange rate, or using the average wage rate, neither is an exact science but its all we have got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PontePom Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 When we came we had read all about the 2.2 to the £1 and so on and we're so confused that we decided to say sod it and get on with doing it. I agree it gives an idea about the wage required to live here Average this average that You only know for sure when you're living here and earning $Aus Do i know what it would cost to buy a loaf of bread in the UK no do i need to know errrr no!!! I get 2 for $5 here How much is that in £'s?? It don't matter does it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Nah Jim, it's worthless. I agree the exchange rate isn't a good guide either. Economists have a concept called "purchasing power parity" to reflect "real" exchange rates, if that makes sense. Last time I checked the PPP rate for A$ to GBP (which I confess was a few months ago because it's not something I track at the mo) it was about 2$:1GBP. So overall your basket of goods that costs 200GBP in the UK costs you $400 in Australia. That's also an average, but averages of costs of goods is much more relevant to an individual than talk about average wages. If their individual earnings after tax are going to be more than twice in dollar terms than they are in pounds, they should be OK (with a big fat caveat on housing cost, purely because of the fact that many are moving to state capitals which may be higher housing cost areas than they are used to). If they actually get the 2.4x average wage figure (or whatever it is) then it's all good. I agree that in general wages are higher here, and therefore standards of living higher. Not disputing that, but the average wage doesn't really mean anything. Average wage for a specific job type (say average wage for an electrician) versus that for the same job type in the UK is useful, but the overall average is pretty useless - there are too many other factors affecting the rate (like, the proportions of skilled/unskilled workers, part-time/full-time, education levels, etc etc etc - it goes on) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Both of you are there so it doesn't matter to you, but many are looking at migrating and it helps a lot of people, doesn't mean it's right, or wrong, it's just a rough guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 The exchange rate is only relevant when you are moving sums of money from one country to the other. It doesn't really help with salary comparisons. In 2003 I took a reduction in salary to move to Perth. If I moved now, I would get an increase. But my relative spending power for my salary would have been the same both now and in 2003. The exchange rate would only be relevant to my salary if I lived in Perth and earned pounds. (Many people on pensions do this) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 The exchange rate is only relevant when you are moving sums of money from one country to the other. It doesn't really help with salary comparisons. In 2003 I took a reduction in salary to move to Perth. If I moved now, I would get an increase. But my relative spending power for my salary would have been the same both now and in 2003. The exchange rate would only be relevant to my salary if I lived in Perth and earned pounds. (Many people on pensions do this) I know what you are saying, but someone will post that a car they bought in Australia cost say $30,000 and then say that's £20,000 using the current exchange rate and make out its mega dear, but they forget to say they are earning wages at $2.2 to £1 to their wage they earned in the UK, which actually means the $30,000 car has actually cost them the equivalent of about £12,000 not £20,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PontePom Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I guess it's for the members to decide whether they actually take the $2.2 to the £1 or not But I agree It does come in for when moving large amounts over Which would now be only getting around $1.5 so will members get confused I know I did lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Until such time as the locals start hacking each other to death with machetes................along with those who manage the locals. Unless you know something of living and working in Africa, I suggest you refrain from comments like this. 99% of Africa is a great place to work and I am offended by such comments and the picture it paints of people I regard as friends. It is blinked small minded racism of the highest order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Unless you know something of living and working in Africa, I suggest you refrain from comments like this. 99% of Africa is a great place to work and I am offended by such comments and the picture it paints of people I regard as friends. It is blinked small minded racism of the highest order. You can suggest what you want, but I'll post as I like....................I never did take to being "lectured"..................had enough of that in a grammar school, without still encountering it at my age! That said, my apologies. I'd had a few last night and my post was intended as "tongue in cheek humour" and I am certainly not racist................I obviously missed the mark so once again, my apologies to anyone offended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugby Lad Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Nah Jim, it's worthless. I agree the exchange rate isn't a good guide either. Economists have a concept called "purchasing power parity" to reflect "real" exchange rates, if that makes sense. Last time I checked the PPP rate for A$ to GBP (which I confess was a few months ago because it's not something I track at the mo) it was about 2$:1GBP. So overall your basket of goods that costs 200GBP in the UK costs you $400 in Australia. That's also an average, but averages of costs of goods is much more relevant to an individual than talk about average wages. If their individual earnings after tax are going to be more than twice in dollar terms than they are in pounds, they should be OK (with a big fat caveat on housing cost, purely because of the fact that many are moving to state capitals which may be higher housing cost areas than they are used to). If they actually get the 2.4x average wage figure (or whatever it is) then it's all good. I agree that in general wages are higher here, and therefore standards of living higher. Not disputing that, but the average wage doesn't really mean anything. Average wage for a specific job type (say average wage for an electrician) versus that for the same job type in the UK is useful, but the overall average is pretty useless - there are too many other factors affecting the rate (like, the proportions of skilled/unskilled workers, part-time/full-time, education levels, etc etc etc - it goes on) Agree with all of that. To add to it it also massively depends where you are in your working life. If you are at your natural career ceiling then you need to know that your wage will sustain you for a good few years. If you know you have the possibility of a few promotions in front of you you can afford to struggle for a year or two knowing that you'll have increased earning power in years to come. All of this stuff is so individual that no average (median or mean) can ever tell you what you need to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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