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.