A boomer tradie has shared a blunt message after young Aussies revealed they were turning down jobs because they didn’t pay six figures.
The 61-year-old revealed he’d spent four-and-a-half decades in the gritty plumbing industry and was making $180,000-a-year before he retired.
He said he only cracked the six-figure mark after putting in years of hard work and urged young Aussies to roll up their sleeves if they wanted a similar salary.
His message comes after a young Aussie went viral for claiming workers should quit their jobs and find employment elsewhere if they’re only making $60,000.
Many social media users claimed they would never work a job paying less than $100,000, arguing it was necessary to keep up with the cost-of-living crisis.
The 61-year-old tradie argued a lot of young people were not willing to invest the time necessary to grow their career and salary.
‘Do the hard yards at the start, reap the rewards at the end,’ he told jobs app GetAhead.
‘A lot of young people don’t do hard work these days, and to get ahead man, you’ve got to get through hard work.’
He described his job as fantastic and said it wasn’t as ‘dirty’ or ‘disgusting’ as many people believe it to be.
New vocational research from NCVER showed there were about 2,000 less apprentices last year compared to the year prior.
It also found there were 25,000 fewer workers in non-trade jobs like labouring.
Andrew Sezonov, Group General Manager of apprenticeship training centre WPC Group said the industry needed more workers.
‘If this trend continues, we can expect delays in project, higher costs and compromised work quality,’ he told Yahoo.
‘To address and potentially avoid these risks in the future, we need a sufficient pipeline of skilled workers and [to] drive more feasible programs for apprentices.’
MIGAS Apprentices and Trainees revealed Australian wages for apprentices in 2025 were surprisingly low.
Those under 17 years old can expect to earn about $581.32 each week, equating about $14.53 an hour over 40 hours per week.
Seventeen to 20-year-olds typically earn $635.63 per week, about $15.89 an hour.
Those over 21 years old earn about $954.10 per week, about $23.85 an hour.
Many have argued junior salaries for apprentices in the construction industry are unfair.
Young apprentices can earn as little as the $581 per week figure, while a fellow 17-year-old labouring can earn as much as $32 an hour.
Last November the Reserve Bank of Australia forecast a decline in wage growth over the coming two years.
The news offers no consolation for Australians continuing to do it tough in the cost of living crisis.
Rental affordability remains at record lows in almost every capital city, while interest rates are yet to drop, adding extra pressure to budgets stretched by inflation at the supermarket and high bills.
