A person working in Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining in Papua New Guinea typically earns around 3,700 PGK per month. Salaries range from 1,340 PGK (lowest average) to 8,550 PGK (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries vary drastically between different Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Assistant Yard Manager | 3,590 PGK |
Associate Analyst | 3,960 PGK |
Associate Landman | 1,660 PGK |
Auxiliary Equipment Operator | 1,510 PGK |
Biomass Plant Technician | 1,860 PGK |
Biomass Power Plant Manager | 5,170 PGK |
Chemical Plant Operator | 2,950 PGK |
Chief Contract Compliance Engineer | 3,710 PGK |
Completions Engineer | 3,480 PGK |
Cost Controller | 2,650 PGK |
Crude Oil Marketing Representative | 3,850 PGK |
Dispatcher | 1,550 PGK |
Distribution Manager | 5,190 PGK |
Dragline Operator | 1,820 PGK |
Driller Offsider | 1,280 PGK |
Dump Truck Driver | 1,390 PGK |
Electric and Gas Operations Manager | 8,150 PGK |
Energy Advisor | 5,400 PGK |
Energy Analyst | 5,460 PGK |
Energy Auditor | 4,660 PGK |
Energy Dispatch Director | 6,570 PGK |
Energy Technical Assistant | 2,220 PGK |
Energy Technical Manager | 4,560 PGK |
Energy Technical Trainer | 3,050 PGK |
Exploration Manager | 6,460 PGK |
Field Safety Auditor | 4,220 PGK |
Fluids Engineer | 3,610 PGK |
Fuel Cell Engineer | 3,940 PGK |
Fuel Cell Technician | 1,820 PGK |
Fuels Handler | 1,670 PGK |
Gas Compressor Operator | 1,600 PGK |
Gas Distribution Plant Operator | 2,860 PGK |
Gas Supply Manager | 5,810 PGK |
Geologist | 6,670 PGK |
Geophysicist | 6,440 PGK |
Geothermal Production Manager | 6,110 PGK |
Geothermal Technician | 2,680 PGK |
HSE Engineer | 3,840 PGK |
HSE Officer | 2,260 PGK |
HSEQ Administrator | 2,560 PGK |
Inspector | 3,450 PGK |
Instructor | 2,870 PGK |
Instrument Designer | 2,920 PGK |
Lead Technical Field Advisor | 4,640 PGK |
Logistics and Tool Coordinator | 3,060 PGK |
Maintenance Engineer | 3,890 PGK |
Maintenance Superintendent | 3,230 PGK |
Material Controller | 2,370 PGK |
Mine Engineer | 3,470 PGK |
Mine Surveyor | 4,240 PGK |
Mining Project Administrator | 3,090 PGK |
Mining Project Assistant | 2,470 PGK |
Mining Project Controls Consultant | 4,190 PGK |
Mining Project Coordinator | 3,350 PGK |
Mining Project Engineer | 3,570 PGK |
Mining Project Manager | 4,750 PGK |
Mining Site Manager | 4,870 PGK |
Mining Team Leader | 4,030 PGK |
NDT Technician | 2,240 PGK |
Oil Service Unit Operator | 1,850 PGK |
Oil Trader | 4,840 PGK |
Oilwell Pumper | 1,440 PGK |
Petroleum Engineer | 4,280 PGK |
Petroleum Geologist | 6,690 PGK |
Petroleum Pump System Operator | 1,960 PGK |
Pipeline Technician | 1,380 PGK |
Power Coordinator | 2,210 PGK |
Power Plant Operations Manager | 6,840 PGK |
Power Plant Operator | 2,950 PGK |
Radio Operator | 1,600 PGK |
Reliability Engineer | 3,750 PGK |
Reservoir Engineer | 3,310 PGK |
Risk Analyst | 4,670 PGK |
Roughneck | 3,790 PGK |
Scaffolder | 2,500 PGK |
Shutdown Engineer | 2,940 PGK |
Solar Energy Installation Manager | 5,320 PGK |
Solar Energy Systems Engineer | 3,630 PGK |
Solar Photovoltaic Installer | 2,450 PGK |
Solar Thermal Technician | 2,260 PGK |
Supply Operations Manager | 5,720 PGK |
Sustainability Specialist | 6,130 PGK |
System Development Advisor | 4,230 PGK |
Tanker Truck Driver | 1,440 PGK |
Utility Operator | 1,970 PGK |
Wind Energy Project Manager | 5,230 PGK |
Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining salaries in Papua New Guinea range from 1,340 PGK per month (minimum average salary) to 8,550 PGK per month (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher).
The median salary is 3,990 PGK per month, which means that half (50%) of people working in Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining are earning less than 3,990 PGK while the other half are earning more than 3,990 PGK. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of people working in Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining are earning less than 2,400 PGK while 75% of them are earning more than 2,400 PGK. Also from the diagram, 75% of people working in Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining are earning less than 6,770 PGK while 25% are earning more than 6,770 PGK.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher the wage.
Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
It is well known that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We compared the salaries of professionals at the same level but with different college degrees levels across many jobs, below are our findings.
Workers with a certificate or diploma earn on average 17% more than their peers who only reached the high school level.
Employees who earned a Bachelor's Degree earn 24% more than those who only managed to attain a cerificate or diploma.
Professionals who attained a Master's Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor's Degree.
Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master's Degree holders on average while doing the same job.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Papua New Guinea costs anywhere from 20,500 Kina(s) to 61,600 Kina(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support this tactic. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
The decision really depends on your situation and experience among many other factors. Putting all variables aside, if you can afford the costs of higher education then the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male employees in Papua New Guinea who work in Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining earn 18% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 4,000 PGK | |
Female | -15% | 3,390 PGK |
Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining professionals in Papua New Guinea are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 7% every 26 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 5% granted to employees every 28 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 6% | |
Energy | 3% | |
Information Technology | 9% | |
Healthcare | 6% | |
Travel | 3% | |
Construction | 9% | |
Education | 6% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Papua New Guinea for the year 2020. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining is considered to be a moderate bonus-based field due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
61% of surveyed staff in Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 39% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 2% to 7% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 39% | |
No Bonus | 61% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining is 10% less than that of All Jobs.
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Papua New Guinea earn 14% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 3,780 PGK | |
Public Sector | +14% | 4,310 PGK |