Average Automotive Project Engineer Salary in Papua New Guinea for 2026
An automotive project engineer in Papua New Guinea earns about 32,900 PGK a year. That's 33% below the national average of 49,300 PGK.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Papua New Guinea sit around 17,560 PGK a year, while the very top stretches to 49,020 PGK. Everything on this page is in Papua New Guinean kina (PGK, symbol K), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Papua New Guinea, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does an automotive project engineer make in Papua New Guinea?
A typical automotive project engineer working in Papua New Guinea brings home around 2,741 PGK a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 17,560 PGK, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 49,020 PGK for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior automotive project engineer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How automotive project engineer pay ranges in Papua New Guinea
A good way to think about salary in Papua New Guinea is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea earn less than 31,180 PGK a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 20,460 PGK (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 37,880 PGK (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of automotive project engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 17,560 PGK. The highest stretch to 49,020 PGK, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Automotive project engineer pay by experience in Papua New Guinea
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an automotive project engineer in Papua New Guinea, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical automotive project engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years18,940 PGK
- 2-5 Years+33% from previous25,160 PGK
- 5-10 Years+41% from previous35,560 PGK
- 10-15 Years+19% from previous42,460 PGK
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous46,400 PGK
- 20+ Years45,580 PGK
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a automotive project engineer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Automotive project engineer pay by education in Papua New Guinea
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving automotive project engineer pay in Papua New Guinea. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average automotive project engineer salary in Papua New Guinea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree28,180 PGK
- Master's Degree+35% from previous38,060 PGK
Automotive project engineer gender pay gap in Papua New Guinea
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Papua New Guinea is no exception. Male automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea earn an average of 36,940 PGK a year, while female automotive project engineers earn around 31,180 PGK. That works out to a 18% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Automotive Project Engineer gender pay gap
16%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Papua New Guinea.
Pay raises for an automotive project engineer in Papua New Guinea
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Papua New Guinea sees a raise of about 7% every 29 months, which works out to roughly 3% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Papua New Guinea, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Papua New Guinea:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Automotive project engineer bonus rates in Papua New Guinea
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
35% of automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an automotive project engineer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 65% of automotive project engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Papua New Guinea
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Automotive project engineer: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Papua New Guinea is about 21% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
18%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Papua New Guinea on average.
Automotive Project Engineer in Papua New Guinea: FAQs
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How much does an automotive project engineer make per month in Papua New Guinea?
An automotive project engineer in Papua New Guinea earns about 2,741 PGK a month before tax, based on an annual average of 32,900 PGK.
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What's the salary range for an automotive project engineer in Papua New Guinea?
Entry-level automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea start near 17,560 PGK. Top-end pay reaches around 49,020 PGK. The middle 50% of earners sit between 20,460 and 37,880 PGK.
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Is the median automotive project engineer salary in Papua New Guinea higher or lower than the average?
The median is 31,180 PGK, lower than the average of 32,900 PGK. Half of automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea?
Men working as an automotive project engineer in Papua New Guinea earn around 18% more than women on average (36,940 vs 31,180 PGK a year).
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Do automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea get bonuses?
About 35% of automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.
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Do automotive project engineers earn more in the public or private sector in Papua New Guinea?
In Papua New Guinea, the public sector pays an automotive project engineer about 21% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do automotive project engineers in Papua New Guinea get a pay raise?
An automotive project engineer in Papua New Guinea sees a raise of around 7% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 3% a year.