By Karina Stathis, Daily Mail Australia
00:55 December 29, 2023, updated 03:29 December 29, 2023
A young expatriate claimed his Australian income was far less than he expected when he moved Down Under in January.
Keeley McGrath left her homeland in Ireland and traveled to Australia before settling in Sydney.
The 26-year-old, who works in social media management, questioned how people make a living, claiming that a 9-5 worker earns less than in his home country.
“Where are the people making money in Australia?” Where are they? “Because I’m in Sydney and I can’t make any money,” she said in a now-viral TikTok video.
“We’re paid well here and I don’t care what anyone says, because everyone I know is paid well.” Very minimal savings. What are you talking about?
Keeley said he recognizes that local FIFO workers and traffic control employees earn a decent income compared to most office workers.
“I know a lot of my friends work as traffic controllers and earn money because they go to the mines, work for two weeks, take a week off and get paid for food and lodging.” she said.
“But what about the average person? If you’re just working a 9-to-5 job, some people aren’t doing that. Is there money to be made here? Because you can’t see it.
“I’m not looking, I’m not listening, I’m not saving money. I’m probably more broke and more stressed than I’ve ever been in my life.”
In a comment on the video, Keely added that she and her partner were “living their lives” and “spending all their money on it.”
A record 500,000 migrants are expected to arrive in Australia in just one year amid a cost of living and housing crisis.
A near-record 413,530 overseas migrants moved to Australia in the year to August, double the level compared to the same period in mid-2022.
Ireland’s current housing crisis is often cited as the main reason why thousands of people are moving abroad, including to Australia, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Population and Migration Figures.
The CSO also estimated that 4,700 people left Ireland for Australia between April 2022 and April 2023.
Meanwhile, Australian households have been under tremendous strain this year due to rising costs of living.
The Reserve Bank raised interest rates for the 13th time in 18 months in November, further increasing the pace of monetary tightening that was the most severe since 1989.
The Commonwealth Bank now expects six interest rate cuts in 2024 and 2025, starting next September, as Australia’s inflation slows faster than expected.
Stephen Halmaric, chief economist at Australia’s largest housing finance company, expects interest rates to be cut by 0.75 percentage points in 2024, followed by a further 0.75 percentage points in the second half of 2025. are doing.
Keeley’s video has since been viewed more than 500,000 times, and others have weighed in on the topic.
“If you’re good with kids, I made some decent money with a nanny agency in Sydney. Sydney is ridiculously expensive,” one person commented.
“Literally, I make less money in Sydney than I do in London,” said another.
“How much do you expect, girl, there’s a lot of money here?” That’s some of the most expensive rent in the world!” added a third.
Another said: “I’m from England and I work FIFO in a mine and I’m sure it’s the best way to save money.”
“You can’t make money unless you have an honors degree and a trade or the right career path,” said another.