Top 10 happiest jobs in Australia 2024
The average Australian spends around 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. With this in mind, being happy at work is essential for good mental health – as they say: find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
Since we’re all different, what makes one person happy at work won’t necessarily work for you. Some people value a high salary, while others may prioritise a healthy work-life balance. By exploring what will truly make you happy at work each day, you can set yourself up for lifelong job satisfaction. Let’s take a look at some of the best jobs in Australia.
Understanding job happiness
It’s a great feeling to wake up on a Monday morning and be excited by what the working week may hold. Expecting to be happy at work may sound idealistic, but there are people who truly do enjoy doing what they do. To understand more about job happiness, let’s look at aspects that can impact how we feel at work.
Some of the top factors contributing to happiness at work include:
- job security,
- work-life balance,
- autonomy, and
- feeling appreciated for your work.
Other factors might be your job’s alignment with your personality and interests, your relationships with your coworkers, and feeling like you’re contributing something meaningful. Knowing exactly what aspects of work you value will help you identify the best job for your long-term happiness.
Top 10 most enjoyable jobs in Australia
The top 10 jobs in Australia ranked by satisfaction are surprisingly diverse, covering emergency services, creative fields, social work, software development and more. Don’t see your preferred career in the list? Don’t worry – there’s no definitive answer to what is the best job. What matters is that you choose a profession based on your skills, values and interests.
1. Firefighter (4.7/5 job satisfaction rating)
Firefighters top the charts for job satisfaction in Australia, earning around $55,000 annually. It’s a classic childhood dream job for many – a role that involves protecting the public in emergencies like fires, rescues and road accidents. Despite the role’s challenges, firefighters find fulfilment in helping others, making the tough job worthwhile.
2. Care worker (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
In Australia, care workers are highly sought after. Care workers provide in-home help and nursing assistance to elderly and/or disabled people. In some cases, care workers help people live independently in their own homes, rather than have to move to aged-care facilities. They can expect to make around $65,000 per year.
3. Content creator (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
Content creator ranks among the top 10 most enjoyable jobs in Australia, with a salary of around $73,000 on average. They are responsible for producing a wide variety of content for different audiences, and can work in-house at a company, as a freelancer or for an agency (or for their own channels). The ability to be creative every day is one of the most frequently mentioned aspects of why content creation is one of the happiest fields in the country.
4. Counsellor (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
Counsellors also rate their job satisfaction highly, and earn an average of $93,000 per year. They offer guidance and therapy in various areas: relationships, trauma, stress, mental health and more. Part of why being a counsellor is a satisfying job comes down to helping people and empowering them to overcome challenges.
5. Java developer (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
Java developers are in the top five most satisfied professionals at work, with an average salary of $130,000 a year. It’s one of the highest paying salaries when it comes to happiest jobs in Australia, and involves designing, testing and implementing software using the Java programming language. Java developers typically love their job thanks to the ability to constantly learn and evolve their careers to different technologies.
6. Nutritionist (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
Nutritionists are some of the happiest workers in Australia, with the average nutritionist earning $85,000 a year. Their day-to-day role involves helping people improve their health and well-being through food, which means formulating meal plans, offering advice on supplements and vitamins, and even preparing food. This high rating reportedly comes from being able to help people overcome health challenges and increase well-being through their nutritional guidance.
7. Producer (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
In the realm of film, TV and media, producers rank among Australia’s happiest professionals, with an average $85,000 annual salary. They manage the daily operations of film, TV, music and media productions: team recruitment, location scouting, budgeting and any production problems that arise. Though this is a high-pressure job, it comes with a high level of satisfaction when projects are completed successfully. It’s also an exciting and dynamic field to work in.
8. Systems analyst (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
Systems analysts are some of the happiest people in the IT field, with a typical salary of $105,000. Their work involves:
- maintaining and optimising computer systems for users,
- maintaining and upgrading systems,
- creating user documentation,
- providing training, and
- analysing functionality for more efficiency processes.
Getting to work on a wide range of different projects and organisational systems is a big reason systems analysts love their jobs.
9. Tour guide (4.6/5 job satisfaction rating)
A tour guide is a good career option if you’re looking for jobs with high satisfaction ratings in travel, with $60,000 being the average salary. As a tour guide, you get to introduce people to exciting destinations, providing engaging and informative commentary and working with local tourism providers. Getting to travel and share new experiences with people are common reasons tour guides rate their job as one of the happiest in Australia.
10. Concierge (4.5/5 job satisfaction rating)
Concierges are also some one of the happiest at work in Australia, with a typical salary of $65,000. A concierge works at a hotel, providing guests support with things like:
- making dinner reservations,
- making shopping, entertainment and attraction recommendations,
- calling taxis,
- making travel arrangements,
- answering questions and more.
Concierges get to work in a stimulating environment, helping people enjoy their holidays, and with the opportunity to work in lots of different places around the world – all ingredients for job satisfaction.
Criteria for ranking jobs with the highest satisfaction
Studies on job satisfaction challenge the belief the happiest jobs are high-paying and easy. Instead, the jobs with the highest satisfaction levels are those that are engaging, allow people to help others, provide good work-life balance, and offer fair pay and security.
Australia ranks 12th globally in workplace happiness, supported by government initiatives for fair working conditions, including regulating minimum wage, hours and breaks. Protecting worker rights results in a happier workforce overall and means all Australians, regardless of whether or not they have the most satisfying jobs, can enjoy fair and equitable work conditions.
Fun jobs that pay well in Australia
While 9 out of 10 people say they would be happy to earn less money to do more meaningful work, it is possible to have the best of both worlds. Being paid fairly for the work you do can greatly impact your happiness in the workplace, and there are many careers rated highly for job satisfaction that also pay well.
Some of the highest paying and happiest jobs in Australia:
- Managing director: average salary of $235,000 and a 4.4 job satisfaction rating
- Chief operating officer: average salary of $210,000 and a 4.4 job satisfaction rating
- Construction manager: average salary of $185,000 and a 4.3 job satisfaction rating
- Locomotive driver: average salary of $150,000 and a 4.3 job satisfaction rating
- Automotive electrician: average salary of $135,000 and a 4.3 job satisfaction rating
Higher paying roles with high job satisfaction tend to involve upper-level trade skills or c-suite level business management.
Cool and unusual jobs in Australia
There are many cool jobs in Australia you may not even know exist. Take sommeliers and stylists, for instance. Sommeliers curate wine lists to complement restaurant menus and rate their job satisfaction 4.5 out of 5 stars. Stylists get to help people develop and refine their personal look. They can work on film and TV sets, creating wardrobes for different productions. They rate their job satisfaction an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Both of these roles are fairly high in demand, with salaries of $65,000 to $75,000, on average.
The most rewarding careers
Getting to help others, especially those going through hard times, is one of the main qualifiers for happy jobs. Some examples of the most rewarding careers that help people include those in healthcare (doctor, disability support, care worker, etc.), emergency services (firefighter, EMT, etc.), and jobs that improve tech (Java developer, systems analyst, etc.).
Factors influencing job satisfaction
When working out what is the best job for you, it’s important to take into consideration your goals, skills, interests and values. One person may value working remotely, with autonomy and prioritise a high salary, while another may find greater happiness working as part of a collaborative team, or settling for less pay and more time with family. Finding the right balance of these factors will help you find a career with the highest satisfaction for you.
Career paths with high job satisfaction
To find a career that offers long-term happiness, you first need to understand what makes you happy. While the idea of high paying fun jobs sounds great, high salaries often translate to more responsibility and a heavier workload. High job satisfaction on the other hand, might come with a pay reduction. If your dream is to travel more, you might accept a lower-paying role that requires you to take frequent business trips.
Using tools like those found on the SEEK Career Advice page, you can explore different roles that align with your values, whether that’s high pay, job security, or personal interests and values.
Making a career change for happiness
If you start out in a particular career direction and find that you’re not happy at work, it’s not too late to consider a career change for one that’s more satisfying. You may find you only need to change your role or jump to a different company, while staying in the same industry. Alternatively, completely pivoting and changing industries may be the way to go!
While changing careers can come with challenges, it’s not uncommon for people to pivot to a completely new industry. You may have skills and qualifications you can leverage to switch to a more fulfilling career, or you may need to pursue further education or apply for entry-level roles to gain greater experience in a new field.
Look at NBA Hall-of-Famer, Shaquille O’Neal. Most people know him for his basketball career, but many don’t know he has also worked as a police officer, has a doctoral degree in education, has five studio albums as a rapper, and owns several fast-food franchises. Many highly successful people didn’t start out knowing what job would make them happy.
Future trends in job satisfaction
It’s estimated technology will create at least 12 million more jobs by 2025. This means more career options for workers of the future to explore and find what makes them happy. Technology is also creating greater job flexibility with hybrid work arrangements, allowing for greater work-life balance across a range of industries. It’s one of the reasons there has been an overall rise in job satisfaction since 2020.
Figuring out what job satisfaction means to you is the secret to a fulfilling career. In Australia, there’s an ever-broadening spectrum of satisfying gigs in different sectors and industries to suit practically every type of preference and skill set. While big paychecks in leadership positions like managing director are satisfying for some, for others, creativity or helping others might be top priority.
At the start of your career, it pays to spend some time reflecting on what sort of job will make you happy for years to come. Explore your options, prioritise your must-haves and create a plan and career goals that work for you.
