A person working as Psychologist in Papua New Guinea typically earns around 6,850 PGK per month. Salaries range from 3,150 PGK (lowest) to 10,900 PGK (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Psychologist salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
![]() 3,150 PGK |
![]() 6,550 PGK |
![]() 10,900 PGK |
Psychologist salaries in Papua New Guinea range from 3,150 PGK per month (starting salary) to 10,900 PGK per month (maximum salary). This is not the minimum wage as per the law, only the lowest reported number in the salary survey that had thousands of participants and professionals from all over the country.
The median salary is 6,550 PGK per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Psychologist(s) are earning less than 6,550 PGK while the other half are earning more than 6,550 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 Psychologist(s) are earning less than 5,280 PGK while 75% of them are earning more than 5,280 PGK. Also from the diagram, 75% of Psychologist(s) are earning less than 7,550 PGK while 25% are earning more than 7,550 PGK.
We grouped the most common and recurring salaries into brackets to give more insight into what salary to expect. This method is more accurate than just the average salary and gives more insights on how salaries are actually distributed. Around 65% of all reported figures are in the range 3,920 PGK to 5,690 PGK. Approximatly 20% fall under the 3,920 PGK cap. Ten percent of wages are from 5,690 PGK to 6,500 PGK. Only 5% of people grossed 6,500 PGK or more.
0 - 2 Years | 3,580 PGK | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 4,780 PGK |
5 - 10 Years | +48% | 7,060 PGK |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 8,610 PGK |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 9,380 PGK |
20+ Years | +8% | 10,200 PGK |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Psychologist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience makes approximately 3,580 PGK per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 4,780 PGK per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 7,060 PGK per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Psychologist whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 8,610 PGK per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 9,380 PGK per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 10,200 PGK per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Psychologist employees in Papua New Guinea earn 18% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 7,420 PGK | |
Female | -15% | 6,280 PGK |
Psychologist(s) in Papua New Guinea are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 10% every 29 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 2022. 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.
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
"Psychologist" is considered to be a high bonus-based job. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
32% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 68% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 5% to 9% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 68% | |
No Bonus | 32% |
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.
Average Salary 2019 | 5,920 PGK | |
Average Salary 2020 | +4% | 6,140 PGK |
Average Salary 2021 | +4% | 6,370 PGK |
Average Salary 2022 | +4% | 6,610 PGK |
Psychologist salaries in Papua New Guinea are on the rise in the year 2023 based on recent submitted salaries and reports. As displayed in the chart, salaries in 2022 are 4% higher than those of 2021. The trend suggests a slow yet continuous increase in pay in 2024 and future years. These numbers may vary from industry to another.
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 minimum pay rate per hour for 'Psychologist' in Papua New Guinea is 18 PGK. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
The average salary for Psychologist is 51% more than that of Counseling. Also, Counseling salaries are 11% more than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Adoption Services Director | 5,420 PGK | ![]() |
Alcohol and Drug Counselor | 4,460 PGK | ![]() |
Assistant Instructor | 1,920 PGK | ![]() |
Career Counselor | 4,580 PGK | ![]() |
Consultant | 4,810 PGK | ![]() |
Director of Rehabilitation Services | 6,440 PGK | ![]() |
Disability Consultant | 4,000 PGK | ![]() |
Employment Counselor | 4,750 PGK | ![]() |
Family Advocate | 3,210 PGK | ![]() |
Family Services Specialist | 3,740 PGK | ![]() |
Family Support Specialist | 5,130 PGK | ![]() |
Family Youth Worker | 1,640 PGK | ![]() |
Guidance Counselor | 4,840 PGK | ![]() |
Guidance Director | 5,460 PGK | ![]() |
Mental Health Counselor | 5,540 PGK | ![]() |
Programs Coordinator | 2,740 PGK | ![]() |
Psychologist | 6,850 PGK | ![]() |
Supervising Counselor | 4,960 PGK | ![]() |
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor | 4,870 PGK | ![]() |
Youth Advocate | 2,690 PGK | ![]() |
Youth Care Counselor | 5,010 PGK | ![]() |
Youth Care Specialist | 2,900 PGK | ![]() |
Youth Development Manager | 6,200 PGK | ![]() |
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 |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 6,550 PGK and 7,550 PGK. This is a very rough estimate and your experience and education will play a very huge part into your final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salart after tax for every career.
The base salary for Psychologist in Papua New Guinea is ranges from 5,280 PGK to 7,550 PGK. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range in a grain of salt.
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