Professor John Buchanan
Lead author Professor John Buchanan said the situation for NSW teachers is “particularly acute”, and increasing salaries and cutting workloads is essential to address teacher shortages and create a more sustainable and attractive teaching profession.
On top of a continuing decline in teachers’ salaries compared to the average of all professions, the report found real earnings fell by about 5.7 percent between 2020 and 2022 due to salary increases that were far below inflation increases.
“Real earnings today are essentially as they were 10 years ago. NSW teachers’ pay has gone from bad to worse, with the situation set to deteriorate further,” Professor Buchanan said.
The release of the report comes as a NSW parliamentary inquiry into teacher shortages begins hearings today.
The research, produced in collaboration with the Brain and Mind Center’s Mental Wealth Initiative, found in recent years there had been a continuation of the 30-year decline in teachers’ salaries compared to the average of all professionals, with male teachers earning only 83.3 percent. of the average professional salary in 2021 and females 93.5 percent.
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