Try Our Salary Guide Calculator.
Explore exactly how much you could be earning or should be paying in 2026, with Australia’s most trusted salary checker.
Major Workforce Trends and Predictions From Our Salary Guide Australia.
Use our salary guide to explore strategic hiring and compensation benchmarks for the 2026 talent market in Australia.
A Move From Transactional Hiring to Skills Alignment
Recruitment is moving away from a rapid process to a more focused hiring for skill and cultural fit. With AI-tailored resumes flooding the market, employers are using skills-based assessments to identify the best fit.
Scaling for Agility Through the Contractor Economy
Workforce planning has moved beyond the permanent-first mindset to a blended, agile model. By integrating high-impact contingent talent, organisations are accessing niche expertise on demand.
A Shift to Holistic Value and Targeted Growth
Salary increases are being reserved for specialists in business-critical areas like generative AI and cybersecurity. The most competitive firms prioritise empathetic leadership, hybrid flexibility, and embedded learning.
Analyse the Average Salary in Australia Across Major Sectors.
Explore the latest compensation trends from thousands of placements and expert consultations. Our salary guide for Australia covers the critical industries defining the 2026 economy, helping you understand where demand and pay are moving.
Frequently Asked Questions.
A salary guide is a comprehensive report that provides salary benchmarks, market trends, and compensation data for various job roles across different industries and locations. It is usually created by industry experts and recruitment specialists who analyse data from thousands of professionals to offer an up-to-date snapshot of the job market.
Hiring managers use salary guides to build competitive compensation packages, plan budgets, and improve employee retention. For professionals, it acts as an essential resource for determining market value and negotiating starting salaries or pay rises.
Based on the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average weekly earnings for full-time adult professionals in Australia range between $ 1500 to $2200.
However, it’s worth noting that the average salary can vary depending on the specific industry, years of experience, and location. To find the specific market rate for your role and see how your compensation compares, we recommend using our Australia Salary Calculator. It uses proprietary data from thousands of actual placements and real-time consultant insights to give you a more precise benchmark.
The benchmarks provided in Morgan McKinley’s salary guides are powered by proprietary market intelligence rather than generic or third-party surveys. To ensure the highest level of accuracy, we derive our figures from:
- Analysing thousands of job offers and placements managed by our offices over the past year
- On-the-ground intelligence from our recruitment consultants who work daily within these specific sectors and understand current demand
- Data from our annual surveys involving thousands of employers and professionals
This multi-layered approach ensures our data reflects the live market and gives an accurate representation of current compensation levels.
The annual salaries listed in the guide typically represent the base salary only. We focus on base salary to provide a consistent benchmark across different industries, as bonuses and benefits can vary significantly between companies.
However, for specific performance-driven roles (such as Sales), we recognise that variable pay is a core part of the compensation. Where possible, we have included both the base salary data and the data for on-target earnings (OTE).
