The IT sector stays a shiny spot within the Australian job market heading into 2025, boasting probably the most optimistic employment outlook of any financial sector. Recruitment agency ManpowerGroup’s Employment Outlook Survey for Q1 2025 revealed that the Australian IT sector has a web employment outlook of +27%, main all different sectors.
IT outshines different industries
The IT hiring outlook outpaced different Australian sectors, together with well being care and life sciences (+21%), financials and actual property (17%), and transport, logistics, and automotive (17%). The IT sector exceeded the nationwide web employment outlook of +11% for the quarter.
The outlook rating is calculated by subtracting the proportion of employers anticipating to scale back workers from the proportion anticipating to extend hiring. A optimistic determine signifies extra employers plan to rent than minimize jobs.
SEE: How To Put together for the Way forward for IT Jobs in Australia
Nevertheless, the IT sector’s web employment outlook has barely declined — dropping 1% since This autumn 2024 and a couple of% in comparison with final yr.
A worldwide phenomenon: IT leads in hiring outlook
Globally, IT continues to dominate hiring developments. ManpowerGroup reported that the worldwide IT web employment outlook throughout 42 nations stands at +37%, a 2% enhance because the earlier yr.
Australia’s IT sector trails behind some Asia-Pacific friends, rating thirty sixth globally with its +11% total employment outlook. Inside APAC, Australia positioned fifth, behind India (+40%), China (+29%), Singapore (25%), and Japan (15%).
Asia-Pacific’s total regional hiring outlook recorded a stronger hiring outlook (+27%), although this represents a 3% decline in contrast with the identical interval final yr.
Challenges persist regardless of optimistic outlook
Regardless of the promising numbers, securing an IT position in Australia might not be simple. A tightening labour market means extra competitors for roles, with stories displaying a rising variety of job seekers relative to the variety of marketed positions.
SEE: Why Now Might Be a Nice Time To Upskill For Tech Jobs
A survey from the on-line jobs web site SEEK discovered that job purposes per advert within the data and communications sector have greater than doubled since 2022. This implies there are nonetheless jobs for these looking, however they don’t seem to be as plentiful as they as soon as have been.
A Gartner HR survey launched in December 2024 discovered that 39% of Australian job seekers reported difficulties discovering a job, whereas solely 25% felt ample jobs matched their abilities.
Alternatives with mid-sized employers
For IT professionals searching for alternatives, mid-sized firms might provide the perfect prospects. ManpowerGroup famous that employers with 250-999 workers reported the best hiring intentions, with a web employment outlook of +17% for 2025. As compared, bigger employers with 1000-4,999 workers reported a extra modest outlook of +7%.
Salaries are anticipated to stay comparatively secure in 2025
IT recruitment corporations say Australian IT workers are anticipated to proceed incomes among the highest salaries obtainable within the nation, although wage will increase might stay modest.
In keeping with recruiter Blue Wave Digital:
- Entrance-end software program builders: $100,000-$140,000 for mid-level roles; $150,000+ for senior positions
- AI/ML engineers: $130,000-$180,000 for mid-level expertise; $200,000+ for senior positions.
- Information scientists: $120,000-$160,000 for mid-level roles; $170,000+ for senior positions.
- Cybersecurity analysts: $100,000-$140,000 for mid-level roles; $150,000+ for senior positions.
- Cloud engineers: $120,000-$150,000 for mid-level roles.
Mercer’s Australian Wage Outlook 2025 predicts that wage will increase throughout the Australian economic system — not particularly IT — will stay at 4% in 2025.
