Backpacker stunned by eye-watering IGA wages in Australia

News.com.au

5 days ago

A British backpacker has been left gobsmacked by how much cash she's raking in working at a remote supermarket in Western Australia, and it's a lot more than she made slogging 60-hour weeks back home.
Lauren, 29, from Liverpool, quit her job as a support worker earlier this year and packed her bags for the other side of the world.
She landed a gig stacking shelves at an IGA in Derby, tucked away in the Kimberley region of WA, Daily Mail reports.
The young expat took to TikTok to share her surprise at earning significantly more in a laid-back job than she ever did in the UK, and the video quickly blew up.
'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she told followers.
Back in England, Lauren was earning £12.50 ($A23) an hour as a support worker.
Despite working 60-hour weeks, including bank holidays and public holidays, she only brought home around £2500 ($A4700) monthly.
Over here? A totally different story.
'My rate of pay, Monday to Friday, is $34, which is the equivalent of £16 an hour,' the 29-year-old said.
'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour.'
The expat reckons she's making more money stacking shelves 40 hours a week in the outback than she did slogging it out for 60 hours in healthcare.
'I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane,' she added.
While Lauren admits the cost of living in Australia is higher, she still feels she's coming out on top.
'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said.
But, she added, sharing with housemates helps ease the financial sting.
'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week – around £80,' she said.
700,000 views later, hundreds of fellow Brits jumped into the comments to vent, or plan their own Aussie escape.
'And this is why everyone is leaving the UK. It's going to s**t.
'I'm emigrating in December to Perth and I can't wait for the better work/life balance,' one person wrote.
'I earn more here working at David Jones in retail than I did in a health clinic,' another said.
'You can earn a decent amount in hospitality and retail, especially on weekends. So good.'
'Put me down for every Sunday and public holiday.'
Another added, 'Fellow Scouser here, how beautiful is Western Australia, enjoy and get that bank.'
'I miss that place. I did the same 20 years ago and I urge you not to come back,' one nostalgic Brit commented.
But not everyone was buying it.
'Give your head a wobble. The cost of living is double over there, that's why you need more money,' one user argued.
'You can't just compare wages. Brits can travel all over Europe in a couple hours for so cheap, would cost Aussie families $30k … not to mention the price of housing in Australia.'
'Everything in the UK is cheaper. I lived there for five years. Food, rent, electricity, cars, fuel, all cheaper.'
'A pint of milk in Australia costs $8 compared to £1 in the UK,' someone else claimed.
Others pointed out it's not all sunshine and fat pay slips Down Under, especially for frontline workers.
'As a nurse, I earned more in the UK than here. Singing earns me more here. Crazy!'
And the bigger picture? It's not exactly rosy.
A report released last month revealed just how little Aussies on minimum wage are able to save once the essentials are paid for.
According to Anglicare's 2025 Cost of Living Index, a single person earning minimum wage has just $33 left each week after paying for rent, food and transport.
For a couple with two kids, both working full-time? A dismal $5.
Since 2023, the amount left over has shrunk by $24 a week, largely thanks to skyrocketing rental prices.
For single parents, the situation is even grimmer, with only $1 left over after essential expenses, even when factoring in government support like the Family Tax Benefit and Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which adds a much-needed $227 to their budgets.
So while Lauren's riding high on shelf-stacking pay cheques, not everyone in Australia is feeling quite so flush.