Salary 12-month changes
Business Applications / CRM
Project Services
Infrastructure
Sales & Account Services
Contract rate 12-month changes
Business Applications / CRM
Development
Project Services
Sales & Account Services
Salaries across the board are steadying out as the market continue to favour employers. After the one-of-a-kind boom in wages that coincided with the pandemic, the OECD’s latest data reports that real wages are lower today than pre-pandemic in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
With inflation and cost of living remaining front of mind, the job search has become increasingly competitive in today’s hiring landscape. In Australia, low staff turnover rates are expected to continue as workers look for stability, while a cut in interest rates in the US is expected to give employers wider budgets to potentially increase head counts or offer more competitive salaries.
Contract roles for niche tech skills still attract hundreds of applications, so ensure you’re skilling up and highlighting specialist experience on your resume
Alan Dowdall,
Practice Manager,
Talent Sydney
Experienced Enterprise Account Executives and Managers are difficult to bring on board so competitive base salaries or commission structures would explain the jump in Sales & Account Services positions while overall salaries of other job categories remain flat
Jenna Daly,
Practice Lead,
Talent Sydney
The hiring demand for permanent continues to gain momentum as businesses look to cut costs and retain critical expertise in-house. Many organisations, particularly in sectors such as Aged Care, Not-for-Profit, and Disability Services, are actively converting contractors into full-time employees, reflecting a broader push for workforce stability.
Key business functions—including Human Resources, Finance, IT, and Risk & Compliance—are expanding, with in-demand roles spanning HR Business Partners, Accountants, Procurement Specialists, and Governance professionals. This trend aligns with steady wage growth, particularly in HR, Talent Acquisition, and Payroll, while administrative roles see a slight decline in salaries due to automation.
Despite this push for permanent hires, a growing number of workers are considering a shift in the opposite direction. A recent Talent poll found that 54% of permanent employees are open to moving into contract roles in 2025, with two-thirds actively seeking opportunities. This sentiment reflects Australia’s evolving workforce dynamics, where contract workers now make up 7.5% of all employed.
While hiring managers currently hold the advantage in the job market due to an influx of candidates, the landscape may shift in 2025 as more job seekers enter the market and new projects receive funding. In response, businesses are leveraging flexible work arrangements, internal mobility programs, and tech-driven recruitment strategies to secure and retain top talent in an increasingly competitive hiring environment.
Last year, there was a strong push from government to convert contract positions to permanent staff. We predict this will very likely continue in 2025.
Lauren Fyfe,
Senior Account Manager,
Talent Canberra
The population growth in Queensland has created a highly competitive job market, contributing to a dynamic employment landscape. We think hiring managers will continue to have the ‘power’ to some degree due to the high number of applications per job post from suitable candidates
Steph Rose,
Practice Manager,
Talent Brisbane
Organisations are utilising a ‘try before you buy’ approach to hiring, transferring temporary contractors to fixed term direct employment to grow their workforce
David Gonsalvez,
Head of Professional Services,
Talent Perth
Hiring demand has remained strong across key skillsets and is only growing. Here are the top global tech skills for 2025:
Skill uptake 12-month growth
Attention to Detail
Azure SQL
IT Security Operations
Data Architecture
Threat & Vulnerability Management
Digital Copywriting
Tech specialisations in demand by industry
Across all these top skillsets, we’re currently seeing continued demand coming from Western Australia’s mining-resources and energy sector, with emerging demand also being seen from renewable projects that are in-flight, especially from our major utilities companies
Edwin Foo, Principal Account Manager
Azure Data Analytics, Data Science, AI, SQL, Security, and governance are going to see the biggest booms. Most projects we’re seeing revolve around these buckets
Dylan Cohen, Director of Microsoft and Cloud Solutions
Across the regions Talent operates in globally, the top industries with increasing demand for tech talent include:
We’re seeing IT Consultancies globally bouncing back, with a jump in demand for professionals in Cybersecurity (11%), Data Engineering (8%), Enterprise Architecture (7%) and Implementation Consulting (5%).
Alan Dowdall, Practice Manager
Azure Data Analytics, Data Science, AI, SQL, Security, and governance are going to see the biggest booms. Most projects we’re seeing revolve around these bucketsWe’re seeing a dramatic increase in demand for candidates within GTM (Go-to-market) and Sales both for junior and experienced candidates. The startup community is feeling positive overall, despite some delays in funding. While caution still lingers in the market, there's a noticeable boost in optimism compared to the past 24 months
Jason Pho, Director of Digital Recruitment
The majority of opportunities and roles being offered in Western Australia appear to be contract engagements, with employers who can offer longer-term commitment and highly interesting and cutting-edge projects winning out in attracting top-tier talent. It’s no surprise that the major WA mining-resources, energy, and utilities companies (and some major government departments) fall within these leading categories of employers
Edwin Foo, Principal Account Manager
In an increasingly competitive hiring market, here’s what you can do as a candidate in 2025 to get ahead:
Be flexible with location and work model
The demand for hybrid models continues to be strong but onsite requirements are increasing particularly in the tech and government sectors; being open to this will give you a significant advantage in today’s market.
What you can do:
Evaluate your flexibility and needs and target companies that match your preferences by researching company policies before applying, if you’re open to working onsite or hybrid, emphasise your flexibility during your job search.
Leverage the power of networking
With 70-80% of jobs opportunities filled through referrals and connections over job boards, it’s important to invest some time and effort into your network.
What you can do:
Be proactive and attend industry events and meetups, join LinkedIn groups and professional associations, and reach out to alumni. Former colleagues and mentors can help you tap into hidden opportunities.
Upskill in in-demand technologies
Candidates with skills in Data, AI, and Cybersecurity will hold a competitive edge, especially as businesses look for multi-skilled candidates.
What you can do:
Beyond taking courses, take on internships or freelance work for hands-on experience, and continue building your network with professionals in emerging tech fields by attending conferences, webinars and meetups.
Personalise your job application
While writing CVs and cover letters yourself was a given a couple years ago, with nearly half of jobseekers turning to AI, there is now a sea of candidates with resumes and letters to the hiring manager that end up sounding generic.
What you can do:
Use your personal voice to your advantage and effectively include buzz words in your job application; it’ll be the difference between whether your CV is picked up.
Focus on job security and benefits
As salaries flatten and the market turns, prioritise job stability and a benefits package that aligns with your needs, values and career goals.
What you can do:
Focus on organisations performing well that are likely to be able to offer stability and evaluate company culture carefully.
Don’t forget about personal skills
There’s a steady demand for skilled professionals who can adapt and work across functions or lead people effectively. With over half (52%) of Gen Z workers indicating a reluctance to pursue middle management roles, this could be the difference between you and a candidate with the same skillsets.
What you can do:
Maintain a continuous learning mindset that extends beyond technical qualifications, hone your skills in collaboration and team leadership to keep a competitive edge.
Hiring managers want to see key achievements and decent write-ups about your role. If you’ve held a position for 3-4 years but can only list your role in 2-3 bullet points, something is wrong.
Dylan Tasker, Senior Sourcing Specialist
Look at job ads within your space and find out what skills are currently in demand. What seems to be a trend amongst these? For example, if you’re in HR, what are the HR technology skills and platform experience businesses are after?
Sophia Parrelli, Account Executive
As organizations increasingly look for versatile talent, cross-skilling in these technologies not only enhances a candidate’s technical abilities but also makes them more valuable to employers as it evolves.
Dylan Cohen, Director of Microsoft and Cloud
With cost being a priority for many businesses, it’s more important than ever to bring the best on talent on board and retaining them.
Here’s what you need to know:
Prepare for a longer hiring cycle
After the hiring boom of 2021-2022, employers are taking a more measured approach, using the hiring landscape to their advantage by being more selective before making offers.
What you can do:
Communicate realistic timelines to candidates, build a pipeline ahead of time by keeping strong candidates engaged, leverage AI and automation to streamline recruitment.
Invest in emerging tech skills
Businesses need to stay ahead of the rapidly evolving tech landscape, demand for specialists in AI, automation and digitisation will only continue to rise.
What you can do:
Incorporate tech L&D opportunities internally, target niche tech skills in areas seeing exponential demand to secure in-house talent, partner with educational institutions to build a talent pipeline of tech-forward candidates.
Leverage hybrid and flexible work models
Remote and hybrid work arrangements are a priority for 94% of 1,900 workers surveyed by Talent, even though sectors continue to mandate return to work policies.
What you can do:
Assess your team and business needs before committing to rigid working models, offer hybrid flexibility where possible while maintaining clear expectations (being in the office for team collaboration meetings).
Think strategically about compensation and benefits
Expectations have evolved, so while salaries may be more modest in 2025, jobseekers are increasingly prioritising work-life balance, benefits packages, and stability.
What you can do:
Re-evaluate your perks offerings and use a holistic compensation approach incorporate non-financial benefits addressing personal needs and career growth and be transparent with salary ranges upfront to attract the right candidates and save time in negotiations.
“Employer for life”
Gen Z workers are rejecting previous Millennial job-hopping attitudes and shifting their sights to an “employer for life”, with 75% of Gen Z workers looking out for longer term employment at organisations who support their goals to grow within.
What you can do:
Define promotion criteria, establish strong mentorship programs, and foster a continuous learning mindset by investing in effective L&D; a Talent poll revealed that Conferences & Workshops are highly valued (37%), followed by In-House Training Programs (28%).
Focus on cultural fit and adaptability
In today’s environment, cultural fit is just as important as hiring for skills. The ability to simultaneously adapt, work remotely and collaborate effectively is increasingly valuable.
What you can do:
Use situational questions to reveal how candidates adapt to uncertainty, evaluate remote communication and collaboration skills, foster a culture of continuous learning.
When it comes to hybrid work models, do what works for your organisation and stick to it because while you’re still debating whether to bring people into the office 2 or 3 days a week, your competitor has found a way that works and has taken your potential hire.
JP Browne, Practice Lead
As companies shift back into growth mode, candidates will have more job opportunities and competing offers in 2025. This increased competition means higher dropout rates, especially if your hiring process isn’t efficient and engaging.
Thomas Mackenzie, Account Director
