2017 Trends in Project Management Jobs

Trends in Project Management Jobs

Project Management jobs in Australia continue to rise and demand for qualified project managers remains high.

Australian project management market trends

The mining/resources boom may be over; however, project management jobs are strong in all capital cities, particularly along the east coast of Australia. Fly-in, fly-out jobs and contract placements have reduced, with a move to fixed term contracts and permanent roles that began in the latter half of 2016.

The Morgan McKinley’s salary guide for IT and Business Transformation notes,

“A key factor to this trend is also related to cost efficiency, as well as a need for some organisations to address the balance of permanent to contract ratios, where they had too heavy a reliance on contracts and were losing expertise from the business as a result.”

Optimum Consulting’s ‘Job Outlook in Australia 2016-2020’ report states:

“We’ve also seen an increase in demand for skilled project managers who can either execute a smooth project from start to finish, or salvage a project that has gone off the rails, whether it is in IT, engineering, HR, or accounting and finance.”

Candidates with diploma qualifications are in high demand

The report goes on to highlight the importance of Diploma qualification in project management:

“It is challenging for candidates without qualifications in this current economic climate as the pendulum has swung towards the employer who has the luxury to be quite fussy when recruiting some roles where candidates are plentiful.  Sometimes a qualification is the difference.  More and more of our job orders from clients strongly prefer a degree or similar academic qualification…

For graduates of VET study, salaries varied significantly depending upon the level of qualification from $46,300 for Certificate I to over $60,000 for Certificate IV or Diploma qualification.”

The current Project Management job market in Australia

The beginning of 2017 sees over 10,000 Australian jobs available in Project Management.

The average PM jobs available broken across industry sectors are:

IT and Communications Tech 2300
Construction 2000
Engineering 1200
Marketing 575
Government and Defence 500
Accounting and Finance 400
Human Resources, Logistics, Resources, Healthcare, Real Estate, Sales, Trades, Architecture, Administration 200 in each

 

Project Management Jobs by State:

NSW 4772
VIC 2590
QLD 1250
SA 330
WA 630
NT 69
TAS 28

 

2017 Project Management jobs over $150,000 available across industry sectors are:

IT and Communications 980
Construction 600
Engineering 290
Accounting and Finance 100
Consulting and Strategy 70
Resources 60

 

Higher paying Project Management positions by State:

NSW 1200
VIC 580
QLD 270
SA 63
WA 141
NT 13
TAS 2

 

Key takeaways:

  • The east coast of Australia remains the highest employer of project managers in Australia.
  • IT and Communications, Construction and Engineering hold the bulk of senior paying positions.
  • There are over 1400 jobs in Marketing, Government/Defence, Accounting/Finance for a range of experience levels.
  • There are plenty of positions available in other sectors for qualified candidates.

2017 Project Management Salaries

2017 Project Management salaries vary depending on the experience of the candidate, the location of job and industry sector.

The ‘Hays Salary Check’ reveals the following breakdown by industry for Project Management positions in Sydney:

The ‘Hudson Salary Calculator’ shows the following Project Management salary information:

  • Project Management – between $85,000 – $260,000 pa salary, or $60-$130hr for Contracting
  • Senior Project Management – from $115,000 pa upwards, or $80-$150hr Contracting
  • Junior/Assistant Project Management – between $60,000 – $100,000 pa

How to secure your career in Project Management

2017 prospects are exciting for Project Management in Australia. With an attitude swing towards grooming and retaining talent within companies, rather than using consultants, now is the time to advance your career with a Diploma of Project Management from The College for Adult Learning. We have resources for employers who may be looking to fund employees, as well as information on how to fast-track your diploma with credits based on your previous experience.