500 jobs
Highest Paying Jobs In The World
Every profession we track, ranked by what it pays and grouped so you can jump straight to your field. Each tab opens a full High Salary guide covering the work, the training, the hourly rate and how the pay grows.
High Salary Software Company CEO (Global SaaS)
$1,566,000
Degree · $753 per hour
High Paying Crypto Exchange Chief Executive
$1,382,400
None · $665 per hour
High Pay AI Start-up Founder & CEO
$1,242,000
Degree · $597 per hour
High Salary Hedge Fund Founding Partner
$1,134,000
Postgraduate · $545 per hour
High Paying Institutional Stock Broker
$1,036,800
Degree · $498 per hour
High Pay Chief Semiconductor Chip Architect
$977,400
Postgraduate · $470 per hour
High Salary Space Launch Systems Director
$939,600
Postgraduate · $452 per hour
High Paying Private Jet & Superyacht Broker
$912,600
None · $439 per hour
High Pay Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
$885,600
Degree · $426 per hour
High Salary Investment Bank Managing Director
$669,600
Postgraduate · $322 per hour
High Paying Neurosurgeon
$665,300
Doctorate · $320 per hour
High Pay Hedge Fund Manager
$626,400
Postgraduate · $301 per hour
High Salary Cardiothoracic Surgeon
$604,800
Doctorate · $291 per hour
High Paying Orthopaedic Surgeon
$583,200
Doctorate · $280 per hour
High Pay Plastic Surgeon
$540,000
Doctorate · $260 per hour
High Salary Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
$518,400
Postgraduate · $249 per hour
High Paying Anaesthetist
$502,200
Doctorate · $241 per hour
High Pay Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
$486,000
Degree · $234 per hour
High Salary Radiologist
$475,200
Doctorate · $228 per hour
High Paying Oncologist
$459,000
Doctorate · $221 per hour
High Pay Private Equity Partner
$453,600
Postgraduate · $218 per hour
High Salary Business Owner / Founder
$442,800
None · $213 per hour
High Paying Dermatologist
$442,800
Doctorate · $213 per hour
High Pay Gastroenterologist
$437,400
Doctorate · $210 per hour
High Salary Urologist
$432,000
Doctorate · $208 per hour
High Paying Ophthalmologist
$426,600
Doctorate · $205 per hour
High Pay Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
$405,000
Doctorate · $195 per hour
High Salary Managing Partner (Law Firm)
$399,600
Postgraduate · $192 per hour
High Paying Emergency Medicine Physician
$388,800
Doctorate · $187 per hour
High Pay Psychiatrist
$345,600
Doctorate · $166 per hour
High Salary Pathologist
$340,200
Doctorate · $164 per hour
High Paying Corporate Lawyer
$324,000
Postgraduate · $156 per hour
High Pay Chief Operating Officer (COO)
$318,600
Degree · $153 per hour
High Salary Orthodontist
$313,200
Doctorate · $151 per hour
High Paying General Practitioner (Family Doctor)
$286,200
Doctorate · $138 per hour
High Pay Paediatrician
$280,800
Doctorate · $135 per hour
High Salary Dentist / Dental Surgeon
$264,600
Doctorate · $127 per hour
High Paying Airline Captain
$259,200
Diploma · $125 per hour
High Pay Judge / Magistrate
$259,200
Postgraduate · $125 per hour
High Salary Patent Attorney
$253,800
Postgraduate · $122 per hour
High Paying Barrister
$237,600
Postgraduate · $114 per hour
High Pay Sales Director
$226,800
Degree · $109 per hour
High Salary Anaesthetic Nurse Practitioner
$221,400
Postgraduate · $106 per hour
High Paying Machine Learning Engineer
$221,400
Degree · $106 per hour
High Pay Software Architect
$216,000
Degree · $104 per hour
High Salary Petroleum Engineer
$210,600
Degree · $101 per hour
High Paying Cloud Solutions Architect
$205,200
Degree · $99 per hour
High Pay Marine Pilot
$205,200
Diploma · $99 per hour
High Salary Investment Banker (Associate)
$205,200
Degree · $99 per hour
High Paying Actuary
$199,800
Degree · $96 per hour
High Pay Cybersecurity Manager
$194,400
Degree · $93 per hour
High Salary Data Science Manager
$192,200
Degree · $92 per hour
High Paying Mining Engineer
$189,000
Degree · $91 per hour
High Pay Airline First Officer
$178,200
Diploma · $86 per hour
High Salary Lawyer (General Practice)
$178,200
Postgraduate · $86 per hour
High Paying Air Traffic Controller
$172,800
Certificate · $83 per hour
High Pay Ship Captain / Master Mariner
$167,400
Diploma · $80 per hour
High Salary Product Manager
$167,400
Degree · $80 per hour
High Paying Management Consultant
$167,400
Degree · $80 per hour
High Pay University Professor
$167,400
Doctorate · $80 per hour
High Salary DevOps Engineer
$162,000
Degree · $78 per hour
High Paying Criminal Defence Lawyer
$162,000
Postgraduate · $78 per hour
High Pay Data Scientist
$159,800
Degree · $77 per hour
High Salary Software Sales Executive
$159,800
None · $77 per hour
High Paying Software Engineer
$156,600
Degree · $75 per hour
High Pay Financial Controller
$156,600
Degree · $75 per hour
High Salary Commercial Property Agent
$156,600
Certificate · $75 per hour
High Paying Data Engineer
$153,400
Degree · $74 per hour
High Pay Penetration Tester
$149,000
Certificate · $72 per hour
High Salary Construction Project Manager
$149,000
Degree · $72 per hour
High Paying Full Stack Developer
$145,800
Degree · $70 per hour
High Pay Aerospace Engineer
$145,800
Degree · $70 per hour
High Salary Stockbroker
$145,800
Certificate · $70 per hour
High Paying Family Lawyer
$145,800
Postgraduate · $70 per hour
High Pay Medical Device Sales Rep
$145,800
Degree · $70 per hour
High Salary Robotics Engineer
$144,700
Degree · $70 per hour
High Paying Pharmacist
$142,600
Postgraduate · $69 per hour
High Pay Back End Developer
$142,600
Degree · $69 per hour
High Salary Optometrist
$140,400
Postgraduate · $68 per hour
High Paying Mobile App Developer
$140,400
Degree · $68 per hour
High Pay School Principal
$140,400
Postgraduate · $68 per hour
High Salary Chemical Engineer
$138,200
Degree · $66 per hour
High Paying Forex Trader
$138,200
None · $66 per hour
High Pay Veterinarian
$135,000
Doctorate · $65 per hour
High Salary Immigration Lawyer
$135,000
Postgraduate · $65 per hour
High Paying Electrical Engineer
$131,800
Degree · $63 per hour
High Pay Front End Developer
$127,400
Diploma · $61 per hour
High Salary Structural Engineer
$127,400
Degree · $61 per hour
High Paying Chartered Accountant
$127,400
Degree · $61 per hour
High Pay Pharmaceutical Sales Rep
$127,400
Degree · $61 per hour
High Salary Marketing Manager
$127,400
Degree · $61 per hour
High Paying Mechanical Engineer
$124,200
Degree · $60 per hour
High Pay Luxury Car Salesperson
$124,200
None · $60 per hour
High Salary UX Designer
$121,000
Degree · $58 per hour
High Paying Mortgage Broker
$121,000
Certificate · $58 per hour
High Pay Civil Engineer
$118,800
Degree · $57 per hour
High Salary Hotel General Manager
$118,800
Degree · $57 per hour
High Paying Network Engineer
$116,600
Diploma · $56 per hour
High Pay Building Site Supervisor
$116,600
Diploma · $56 per hour
High Salary Research Scientist
$116,600
Doctorate · $56 per hour
High Paying Biomedical Engineer
$114,500
Degree · $55 per hour
High Pay Architect
$113,400
Postgraduate · $55 per hour
High Salary Financial Planner
$113,400
Certificate · $55 per hour
High Paying Compliance Officer
$113,400
Degree · $55 per hour
High Pay Underground Miner
$113,400
Certificate · $55 per hour
High Salary Psychologist
$113,400
Postgraduate · $55 per hour
High Paying Real Estate Agent
$113,400
Certificate · $55 per hour
High Pay Public Relations Manager
$113,400
Degree · $55 per hour
High Salary Environmental Engineer
$110,200
Degree · $53 per hour
High Paying Physiotherapist
$105,800
Degree · $51 per hour
High Pay QA / Test Engineer
$105,800
Diploma · $51 per hour
High Salary UI Designer
$105,800
Diploma · $51 per hour
High Paying Drill Operator
$105,800
Certificate · $51 per hour
High Pay University Lecturer
$105,800
Postgraduate · $51 per hour
High Salary Systems Administrator
$103,700
Diploma · $50 per hour
High Paying Auditor
$103,700
Degree · $50 per hour
High Pay Detective
$103,700
Certificate · $50 per hour
High Salary Surveyor
$102,600
Degree · $49 per hour
High Paying Building Inspector
$102,600
Diploma · $49 per hour
High Pay Midwife
$99,400
Degree · $48 per hour
High Salary Insurance Broker
$99,400
Certificate · $48 per hour
High Paying Lift / Elevator Technician
$99,400
Trade · $48 per hour
High Pay Oil Rig Worker
$99,400
Certificate · $48 per hour
High Salary Army Officer
$99,400
Degree · $48 per hour
High Paying Town Planner
$99,400
Degree · $48 per hour
High Pay Executive Chef
$99,400
Trade · $48 per hour
High Salary Radiographer
$95,000
Degree · $46 per hour
High Paying Technical Writer
$95,000
Degree · $46 per hour
High Pay Underwriter
$95,000
Degree · $46 per hour
High Salary Train Driver
$95,000
Certificate · $46 per hour
High Paying Public Servant (Policy Officer)
$95,000
Degree · $46 per hour
High Pay Solar Sales Consultant
$95,000
None · $46 per hour
High Salary Registered Nurse
$92,900
Degree · $45 per hour
High Paying Gas Fitter
$92,900
Trade · $45 per hour
High Pay Power Plant Operator
$92,900
Certificate · $45 per hour
High Salary Occupational Therapist
$90,700
Degree · $44 per hour
High Paying Plumber
$90,700
Trade · $44 per hour
High Pay Recruitment Consultant
$90,700
None · $44 per hour
High Salary Speech Pathologist
$88,600
Degree · $43 per hour
High Paying Conveyancer
$88,600
Diploma · $43 per hour
High Pay Electrician
$88,600
Trade · $43 per hour
High Salary Crane Operator
$88,600
Certificate · $43 per hour
High Paying Digital Marketing Specialist
$88,600
Certificate · $43 per hour
High Pay Dental Hygienist
$84,200
Diploma · $40 per hour
High Salary HVAC Technician
$84,200
Trade · $40 per hour
High Paying Rigger
$84,200
Certificate · $40 per hour
High Pay Police Officer
$84,200
Certificate · $40 per hour
High Salary Car Salesman
$84,200
None · $40 per hour
High Paying SEO Specialist
$84,200
None · $40 per hour
High Pay Boilermaker
$82,100
Trade · $39 per hour
High Salary Heavy Machinery Operator
$82,100
Certificate · $39 per hour
High Paying Special Education Teacher
$82,100
Degree · $39 per hour
High Pay Insurance Sales Agent
$82,100
Certificate · $39 per hour
High Salary Roof Plumber
$79,900
Trade · $38 per hour
High Paying Fitter and Turner
$79,900
Trade · $38 per hour
High Pay High School Teacher
$79,900
Degree · $38 per hour
High Salary Firefighter
$79,900
Certificate · $38 per hour
High Paying Copywriter
$79,900
None · $38 per hour
High Pay Paramedic
$77,800
Diploma · $37 per hour
High Salary Draftsperson
$77,800
Diploma · $37 per hour
High Paying Carpenter
$77,800
Trade · $37 per hour
High Pay Diesel Mechanic
$77,800
Trade · $37 per hour
High Salary Advertising Sales Rep
$77,800
None · $37 per hour
High Paying Head Chef
$77,800
Trade · $37 per hour
High Pay Dietitian
$75,600
Degree · $36 per hour
High Salary Bricklayer
$75,600
Trade · $36 per hour
High Paying Auto Electrician
$75,600
Trade · $36 per hour
High Pay Event Manager
$75,600
Degree · $36 per hour
High Salary Court Reporter
$73,400
Certificate · $35 per hour
High Paying Tiler
$73,400
Certificate · $35 per hour
High Pay Welder
$73,400
Certificate · $35 per hour
High Salary Truck Driver (Long Haul)
$73,400
Certificate · $35 per hour
High Paying Primary School Teacher
$73,400
Degree · $35 per hour
High Pay Social Worker
$73,400
Degree · $35 per hour
High Salary Social Media Manager
$73,400
None · $35 per hour
High Paying Concreter
$71,300
Certificate · $34 per hour
High Pay Scaffolder
$71,300
Certificate · $34 per hour
High Salary Graphic Designer
$71,300
Diploma · $34 per hour
High Paying Automotive Mechanic
$69,100
Trade · $33 per hour
High Pay Solar Panel Installer
$69,100
Certificate · $33 per hour
High Salary Prison Officer
$69,100
Certificate · $33 per hour
High Paying Videographer
$69,100
None · $33 per hour
High Pay Restaurant Manager
$69,100
Diploma · $33 per hour
High Salary IT Support Technician
$67,000
Certificate · $32 per hour
High Paying Payroll Officer
$67,000
Certificate · $32 per hour
High Pay Paralegal
$67,000
Diploma · $32 per hour
High Salary Plasterer
$67,000
Certificate · $32 per hour
High Paying Panel Beater
$67,000
Trade · $32 per hour
High Pay Shearer
$67,000
None · $32 per hour
High Salary Librarian
$67,000
Postgraduate · $32 per hour
High Paying Retail Store Manager
$67,000
None · $32 per hour
High Pay Sommelier
$67,000
Certificate · $32 per hour
High Salary Glazier
$64,800
Trade · $31 per hour
High Paying Cabinet Maker
$64,800
Trade · $31 per hour
High Pay Arborist
$64,800
Certificate · $31 per hour
High Salary Enrolled Nurse
$62,600
Certificate · $30 per hour
High Paying Painter & Decorator
$62,600
Trade · $30 per hour
High Pay Locksmith
$62,600
Trade · $30 per hour
High Salary Photographer
$62,600
None · $30 per hour
High Paying Flight Attendant
$62,600
Certificate · $30 per hour
High Pay Bookkeeper
$60,500
Certificate · $29 per hour
High Salary Soldier / Enlisted Personnel
$60,500
None · $29 per hour
High Paying Legal Secretary
$59,400
Certificate · $29 per hour
High Pay Landscaper
$56,200
Certificate · $27 per hour
High Salary Quality Control Inspector
$56,200
Certificate · $27 per hour
High Paying Bus Driver
$56,200
Certificate · $27 per hour
High Pay Chef de Partie
$56,200
Trade · $27 per hour
High Salary Personal Trainer
$54,000
Certificate · $26 per hour
High Paying Debt Collector
$51,800
None · $25 per hour
High Pay Meat Worker / Butcher
$51,800
Certificate · $25 per hour
High Salary Massage Therapist
$51,800
Diploma · $25 per hour
High Paying Forklift Operator
$49,700
Certificate · $24 per hour
High Pay Fisher / Deckhand
$49,700
Certificate · $24 per hour
High Salary Call Centre Sales Agent
$49,700
None · $24 per hour
High Paying Commercial Window Cleaner
$49,700
Certificate · $24 per hour
High Pay Administration Assistant
$49,700
Certificate · $24 per hour
High Salary Disability Support Worker
$47,500
Certificate · $23 per hour
High Paying Machine Operator
$47,500
None · $23 per hour
High Pay Baker
$47,500
Certificate · $23 per hour
High Salary Removalist
$47,500
None · $23 per hour
High Paying Barber
$47,500
Certificate · $23 per hour
High Pay Casino Dealer
$47,500
Certificate · $23 per hour
High Salary Aged Care Worker
$45,400
Certificate · $22 per hour
High Paying Bank Teller
$45,400
None · $22 per hour
High Pay Timber Worker
$45,400
None · $22 per hour
High Salary Delivery Driver
$45,400
None · $22 per hour
High Paying Hairdresser
$45,400
Trade · $22 per hour
High Pay Beauty Therapist
$45,400
Diploma · $22 per hour
High Salary Customer Service Officer
$45,400
None · $22 per hour
High Paying Cruise Ship Crew
$45,400
Certificate · $22 per hour
High Pay Warehouse Storeperson
$43,200
None · $21 per hour
High Salary Childcare Educator
$43,200
Certificate · $21 per hour
High Paying Rideshare / Taxi Driver
$43,200
Certificate · $21 per hour
High Pay Security Guard
$43,200
Certificate · $21 per hour
High Salary Receptionist
$43,200
None · $21 per hour
High Paying Cook
$43,200
Certificate · $21 per hour
High Pay Tour Guide
$43,200
Certificate · $21 per hour
High Salary Factory Production Worker
$41,000
None · $20 per hour
High Paying Teacher's Aide
$41,000
Certificate · $20 per hour
High Pay Courier
$41,000
None · $20 per hour
High Salary Hotel Receptionist
$41,000
None · $20 per hour
High Paying Assembly Line Worker
$40,000
None · $19 per hour
High Pay Food Production Worker
$38,900
None · $19 per hour
High Salary Gardener
$38,900
None · $19 per hour
High Paying Bartender
$38,900
Certificate · $19 per hour
High Pay General Hand / Labourer
$38,900
None · $19 per hour
High Salary Farm Hand
$36,700
None · $18 per hour
High Paying Recycling Sorter
$36,700
None · $18 per hour
High Pay Retail Sales Assistant
$36,700
None · $18 per hour
High Salary Car Detailer
$36,700
None · $18 per hour
High Paying Barista
$35,600
Certificate · $17 per hour
High Pay Supermarket Checkout Operator
$34,600
None · $17 per hour
High Salary Cleaner
$34,600
None · $17 per hour
High Paying Restaurant Waiter
$33,500
None · $16 per hour
High Pay Housekeeper
$33,500
None · $16 per hour
High Salary Fruit Picker
$32,400
None · $16 per hour
High Paying Kitchen Hand
$32,400
None · $16 per hour
High Pay Fast Food Crew Member
$30,200
None · $15 per hour
The Highest Paying Jobs in the World — and How to Actually Reach Them
The list above is not a curiosity page — it is a map. Every card links to a full guide for that role, so if a title catches your eye the next step is one click. What the rankings make obvious is that the world’s highest salary roles cluster into a handful of shapes: ownership and equity, advanced medicine, specialist law, scarce engineering, and commission sales at scale. A Chief Executive Officer is paid for decisions worth millions; a neurosurgeonis paid for work almost nobody else can do; a stock broker with a big book is paid a slice of every trade. The question this page answers is not “who earns the most” but “how do you become one of them” — and the answer is less romantic than the numbers suggest.
The qualifications that actually move the needle
For the top of the table, a degree is the floor, not the ceiling. Medicine is the clearest example: you cannot become a cardiothoracic surgeon or a anaesthetist without a medical degree, years of registrar training, and fellowship exams. Law and compliance follow a similar arc — a barristeris made, not born, and the pupillage years are long. For technology and engineering the path is wider: a Chief Technology Officer may have a computer science degree, but the role is earned by shipping systems people depend on. A chip architect usually holds a postgraduate degree because the physics is genuinely hard, whereas a start-up founder may have dropped out — the qualification that matters there is a product people will pay for.
Postgraduate study opens the finance and executive ranks: an MBA is almost table stakes for a investment bank managing director or a hedge fund partner, and a CPA or CFA sits behind most CFO roles. The honest truth is that the top ten per cent of salaries are gated by credentials — but the next thirty per cent, the roles from roughly two hundred thousand to four hundred thousand, are often gated by a trade, a licence, or a commission book that took years to build.
Where to actually find these jobs
The job boards most people know — Indeed, LinkedIn, Seek, Glassdoor — are useful for the mid-market but thin at the top. Executive and board roles move through retained search firms: Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart, Egon Zehnder and Russell Reynolds place the CEOs, CFOs and non-executives you see in the list. For medicine, the Royal Colleges and specialist registrar matching services in each country are the real pipeline. For technology, roles above a certain level rarely get posted publicly — they are filled through network referrals, so building a visible track record (open-source contributions, conference talks, a known product) matters more than a CV.
Finance and trading have their own marketplaces. Hedge funds and prop firms recruit through platforms like eFinancialCareers and targeted headhunters, but they also hire directly from university graduate schemes at firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — the two years as an analyst is effectively an audition. Aviation and marine roles flow through type-rating providers and union seniority lists. Skilled trades are the opposite: they are openly posted, often by recruiters specialising in mining, energy and infrastructure, and the pay is high precisely because the licensed pool is small.
Courses, apprenticeships and the study path
If you are starting out, match the qualification to the tier you are aiming for. A medical degree (five to six years undergraduate, or four years graduate-entry) plus specialty training is the only route into the surgical and specialist roles at the top. A law degree plus the professional legal practice course (BPTC, LPC, or your country’s equivalent) is the entry to the bar. For engineering, an accredited BEng or MEng opens chartered status, which is what unlocks the senior project and design roles. For finance, a quantitative degree plus the CFA charter is the combination that gets you into front office seats.
Apprenticeships are the fastest, cheapest route into the skilled-trade tier — an electrician, plumber or lift technician can be fully licensed and earning strong money inside four years, with no student debt, while a graduate is still looking for their first role. The same is true of aviation: a commercial pilot licence and the right type ratings are expensive but the earning curve is steep and starts early. For the digital and sales roles, the “course” is often a portfolio and a network — a software sales track record or a body of shipped content is worth more than any certificate.
Relocation: when the best job is not in your city
The single biggest salary lever most people underuse is geography. A business owner in a small regional town will earn a fraction of what the same person earns in a financial capital. Mining and energy roles are deliberately located where the resources are — FIFO (fly-in fly-out) work in Australia, the Gulf states, and the Canadian oil sands pays premiums precisely because no one wants to live there permanently. A miner or crane operator on a remote project can out-earn a city professional, but the trade-off is weeks away from home.
If the role you want does not exist in your locality, the realistic options are three. First, go where the industry is: medicine and finance concentrate in major cities, tech in a handful of hubs, energy and resources near extraction sites. Second, take a remote or hybrid variant if the role allows it — senior software, design and some trading desks have gone genuinely location-flexible, though the top pay usually still anchors to a hub. Third, move internationally: a trained radiologistor urologist can double their salary by relocating from the UK or Australasia to the United States, because the US healthcare market pays specialists at rates the rest of the world does not match. Visa, licensing and language requirements are real costs, but for the roles at the top of this page they are usually recovered inside the first year.
A realistic plan, not a fantasy
Read the list as a decision tree, not a lottery ticket. Pick a tier that matches how long you are willing to study, how much risk you will carry, and how far you are willing to move. A medical or surgical path is long and secure; a founder or broker path is short on formal study but long on hustle and risk; a trade path is fast and debt-free but caps out lower than the professional ceiling. The roles on this page pay what they do because they combine scarcity, responsibility and leverage — the same three levers you can pull in almost any career. Use the cards above to drill into the role that fits, read the full guide for the training and hourly breakdown, and then decide which qualification or relocation is worth the next five years of your time.