S’poreans Are Sharing Their Payslips; Teacher Earning $142K & Engineer Earning $274K Per Year Among Entries That Surprised Many

The engineer later confirmed that they hold a department director-equivalent role. They said they currently oversee building and infrastructure work, but have rotated across different engineering fields, including mechanical engineering and project management, depending on the agency’s needs.

On the flip side, some felt that certain workers deserved to be paid more for the important roles they play. Many of these comments mentioned those in the social and public health sectors.

A social worker with two years of experience earned an annual income of S$48,842, while similarly, a counsellor at a social service agency earned S$64,086 a year.

Many netizens felt that workers in these roles deserved higher pay, with one commenting that “their service cannot be measured in dollars” and that they play an important role in supporting the community’s well-being.

The social worker behind the first payslip agreed that the profession is not highly paid, but said they were content with their current income. They added that because they live a “simple life”, their salary remains manageable despite today’s economic conditions.

A few nurses also shared their payslips, with one senior staff nurse with almost a decade of experience earning around S$90,000 a year, while another nurse with six years of experience at a public hospital earned S$71,549.

A senior registered nurse at a tertiary hospital with 17 years of experience also shared a payslip showing an annual salary of around S$78,000.

While many thanked them for their service, some felt that nurses deserve higher pay for the long hours and demanding work they take on.

One netizen commented that “these are nowhere close to the starting pays that those in fintech earn”, while another said they would “never forget the population white paper misrepresentation that labelled nursing as a low skilled job”.

That said, there were also nurses with over 10 years of experience earning above S$100,000 a year, and the differences in pay appear to vary depending on factors such as educational qualifications and starting salaries.

In the same vein, educators also appeared to have a wide range of salaries, with some earning five-figure sums while others were on the higher end with six-figure incomes, even among those with similar years of experience.

Some of the earnings were later shared on business finance account The Financial Coconut’s IG page, where netizens also weighed in on the figures. Some expressed surprise that primary school teachers could earn around S$12,000 a month, while others were shocked that doctors could make half a million dollars with just a decade of experience.

One netizen asserted: “The disparities are insane. Social workers need to be paid more.”

Another even joked: “Time to be a lawyer.”

Some also pointed out that the stats may be skewed towards higher earners, as those with larger salaries may be more willing to share their payslips online. They added that in reality, not all lawyers and doctors may be earning such high amounts.

All in all, many encouraged others not to feel discouraged by comparing their own payslips to what they see online. A Redditor explained that the very high finance payslips seen online are mostly from a small group of top earners, so people should not feel discouraged by comparing themselves to these rare cases.