Planning for 2026? Explore our Salary Guide & Market Trends

Australia’s Tech and Digital, Sales and Marketing, and Finance workforces are entering a new era defined by stabilisation and renewed focus on business outcomes. Whether you’re an employer mapping out your 2026 workforce strategy or a professional planning the next step in your career journey, understanding what’s changing, and what salaries are on offer, can make all the difference. 

Our just released Salary Guide & Market Insights is our most comprehensive yet. A data-rich snapshot of contractor rates across key states, national permanent salaries, and the trends shaping the market across Government, Technology, Energy, Industrial, Financial and Professional services. Here is a taste of some insights from the guide, which you can download here to read in more extensive detail.

A Market Balancing Caution and Opportunity

The Australian job market has softened slightly over the past year, but it is far from stagnant. While online job advertisements are down 6.7% year-on-year, advertised salaries are up 3.5% year-on-year. Hiring is now more deliberate. Organisations are carefully assessing which roles they truly need and which capabilities will deliver results. Despite the slowdown, specialist talent remains in high demand, especially across AI, cyber, cloud, data, and project delivery. This combination of a cooling job market paired with rising salaries and applications captures the new reality, a competitive yet selective landscape.

Key Trends Shaping the Market

The guide highlights some key areas impacting hiring patterns and salaries across Australia, including:

• Contractor rates rebalancing as the market stabilises following several years of post-pandemic inflation
• Jobs in the age of AI & Technology are being embedded into software development, data analysis and administrative workflows
• Hybrid work is shifting as we know it, with employers taking back some of the reins as flexibility narrows
• Architecture, data and cloud roles are continuing to command strong rates across all states, but are concentrated in the sectors driving digital transformation
  

Inside the Sectors: Where Demand is Rising

Across Government, budgets may be tightening but transformation programs continue to drive hiring. Demand remains consistent for cyber specialists, architects, cloud professionals. In Professional Services & Technology, AI, cloud, cyber, and SAP skills remain in short supply. Outcome-based consulting and managed services are expanding as employers seek flexible, results-focused support.

Demand is strong for roles that sit at the intersection of IT, OT, data, and cyber in the Energy & Industrial sector. While Financial services have recorded some of the strongest contractor rate growth of the year, driven by cloud migration, core system upgrades, and data-heavy transformation programs. Access a deep dive on each sector inside the guide.

High Demand, Higher Paychecks

Some of the top contract roles by volume nationally include:

• Project Manager
• Software Developer
• Business Analyst
• Data Engineer

Some roles commanding the highest rates are:

• Program Manager (up to $220p/h)
• Enterprise Architect (up to $225 p/h)
• Software Engineer (up to $235 p/h)
• AI Consultant (up to $300p/h)

Want to know more? Download the full Salary Guide & Market Insights for a complete look at the most common contract rates and salaries, market trends and leadership insights across Australia’s tech, digital and professional landscape. It’s the most comprehensive edition we’ve ever released—and a valuable tool for workforce planning, budget setting, or your next career move in 2026.