IT outperforms other industries.
The IT hiring outlook outperformed other Australian sectors, including healthcare and life sciences (+21%), finance and real estate (17%), and transport, logistics, and automotive (17%). The IT sector exceeded the national net employment outlook by +11% for the quarter.
The Outlook Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who expect to hire employees from the percentage of job growth expected. A positive figure indicates that more employers plan to hire rather than cut jobs.
See: How to Prepare for the Future of IT Jobs in Australia
However, the net employment outlook for the IT sector has declined slightly – down 1% from Q4 2024 and 2% from last year.
A Global Trend: IT Leads the Jobs Outlook
Globally, IT continues to dominate recruitment trends. The Manpower Group reports that the ITnet job outlook in 42 countries worldwide is +37%, a 2% increase over last year.
Australia’s IT sector lags behind some of its Asia Pacific peers, ranking 36th globally with its +11% overall employment outlook. Within APAC, Australia ranks fifth, behind India (+40%), China (+29%), Singapore (25%), and Japan (15%).
Asia-Pacific’s overall regional recruitment outlook Recorded a strong hiring outlook (+27%), although this represented a 3% decrease compared to the same period last year.
Despite the positive outlook, challenges remain.
Despite the promising numbers, getting an IT role in Australia Can’t be straight. A tightening labor market means more competition for roles, with reports showing an increasing number of job seekers compared to the number of advertised positions.
See: Why Now May Be a Great Time to Upskill for Tech Jobs
A survey by Search online jobs website. It found that job applications per advertisement in the information and communication sector have more than doubled since 2022. This means there are still jobs out there for searchers, but there aren’t as many of them as there used to be.
A Gartner HR survey released in December 2024 found that 39% of Australian jobseekers reported difficulty finding a job;While only 25 percent felt that enough jobs matched their skills.
Opportunities with mid-sized employers
For IT professionals looking for opportunities, mid-sized companies may offer the best prospects. Manpower Group noted that employers with 250-999 employees reported the highest hiring intentions, with a net employment outlook of +17% for 2025.
Salaries are expected to remain relatively stable in 2025.
Australian IT workers are expected to continue to generate income, IT recruitment firms say. Some of the highest salaries available in the countryAlthough the salary increase may be modest.
According to recruiter Blue Wave Digital:
- Front-end software developers: $100,000-$140,000 for mid-level roles; $150,000+ for senior positions
- AI/ML Engineers: $130,000-$180,000 for mid-level experience; $200,000+ for senior positions.
- Data Scientist: $120,000-$160,000 for mid-level roles; $170,000+ for senior positions.
- Cybersecurity Analyst: $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 Salary Outlook 2025 predicts that salaries will increase across the Australian economy – not just IT. 4 percent in 2025..