Across Australia, tech salaries have stabilised compared to the post-pandemic peak. But at the top end of the market, specialist architecture, AI capability, and enterprise-wide oversight continue to command significant premiums.

Based on Talent’s Australian average permanent salary data, this year’s rankings tell a clear story: enterprise architecture and AI-led capability now define the highest-paid roles in tech.

Compared to 2025, traditional platform-specific architecture and operational security leadership roles have edged down, while AI-native and enterprise-wide architecture positions have climbed.

Here are the 10 highest paying tech jobs in Australia right now.

10. Applications Solution Architect – $230k

Applications Solution Architects remain critical across enterprise transformation programs, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne across retail, healthcare, education, and financial services.

With hiring framed around ROI and delivery impact, these professionals are responsible for translating business strategy into scalable, integrated solutions. We’re seeing strong demand in:

• Sydney enterprise environments rationalising legacy systems
• Melbourne public sector and utilities transformation programs
• Canberra government digital modernisation initiatives

As organisations prioritise system integration and measurable outcomes, experienced Solution Architects remain highly bankable.

9. Agent Architect – $231k

Agentic AI has moved from experimentation to implementation and Agent Architects are emerging as a premium skillset. These specialists who design, govern and deploy AI agents within enterprise ecosystems are particularly in demand across consulting firms and enterprise SaaS environments.

Demand is strongest in:

• Sydney financial services and insurance
• Melbourne enterprise and health tech programs
• Large consulting partners building production-grade AI capability

As AI governance becomes more scrutinised, organisations are paying for professionals who can balance automation with oversight.

8. Program Manager – $232k

Transformation has become more scrutinised.

Senior Program Managers with experience delivering enterprise platform migrations, cybersecurity uplift programs, AI implementation initiatives and cloud transformation portfolios are commanding strong remuneration across:

• NSW government
• Victorian public sector
• ASX-listed enterprises

Execution risk is expensive. Proven delivery leadership is not.

7. LLM Architect – $232k

Large Language Models are no longer innovation-lab experiments and LLM Architects with production deployment experience are in short supply. Particularly those who understand governance, security and enterprise integration.

We’re seeing demand accelerate across:

• Sydney’s financial services sector
• Melbourne’s enterprise AI initiatives
• Canberra’s secure government environments

The market is shifting from “can you build it?” to “have you deployed it safely and at scale?”

6. AI Principal Engineer – $232k

AI has solidified its place onto boardroom agendas and Principal Engineers leading AI deployment, optimisation and enterprise integration are commanding strong salaries. Especially when paired with domain expertise.

Strongest demand is emerging in:

• Sydney financial services and fintech
• Melbourne healthcare and aged care digital transformation
• Brisbane state government and higher education programs
• Perth mining and resources automation environments

From innovation roadmaps, AI capability is now embedded into core operating models.

5. Cloud Architect – $233k

Cloud remains foundational to every major technology strategy and with the APS’s new Whole-of-Government Cloud Computing Policy reshaping federal cloud strategy and enterprises continuing multi-year migrations, senior Cloud Architects remain highly sought after.

Demand is strongest in:

• Canberra, driven by secure-by-design mandates and compliance requirements
• Sydney enterprise environments modernising legacy infrastructure
• Melbourne utilities and green energy programs supporting grid transformation

Particularly across AWS and Azure in regulated environments, secure cloud capability continues to command a premium.

4. Engineering Manager – $234k

Technical leaders who can balance delivery with commercial alignment have become increasingly valuable.

Engineering Managers are now responsible for:

• Leaner, AI-enabled teams
• Higher productivity expectations
• Stronger cross-functional collaboration
• Clearer ROI accountability

More than just overseeing code, the strongest leaders are aligning engineering effort with business performance.

Demand remains steady across Sydney and Melbourne’s startup ecosystems, Adelaide’s defence programs and enterprise transformation environments nationwide.

3. Cybersecurity Architect – $246k

Despite broader salary stabilisation, Cybersecurity Architects continue to command premium remuneration in the face of evolving cyber threats. Particularly those with:

• Secure cloud expertise
• DevSecOps capability
• GRC integration experience
• Critical infrastructure resilience exposure

High-demand sectors include:

• Financial services
• Federal and state government
• Defence-adjacent programs
• Energy, utilities and mining

In Canberra especially, cleared cyber professionals remain in extremely short supply.

2. Big Data Architect – $250k

As AI programs mature, data foundations have become a non-negotiable. Big Data Architects responsible for scalable platforms, governance frameworks and real-time analytics environments are commanding some of the highest salaries in the country.

Demand is strongest across:

• Sydney financial services and insurance
• Melbourne utilities and renewable energy transformation
• Canberra federal data governance programs
• Perth resources and logistics automation

Everyone knows that AI without strong data architecture fails and businesses are paying accordingly.

1. Enterprise Architect – $262k

Enterprise Architects top the list again in 2026.

With technology investment tightly tied to productivity, resilience and measurable ROI, Enterprise Architects are responsible for aligning strategy, systems, risk and execution across entire organisations.

Demand remains strongest in:

• Sydney banking and enterprise environments
• Melbourne public sector and utilities
• Canberra government and defence programs
• Large-scale national transformation initiatives

In a sharper hiring market, strategic oversight carries the highest premium.

What does this tell us about the 2026 tech market?

Three clear themes define this year’s top salaries:

1. Architecture dominates
2. AI capability has shifted from experimental to enterprise-critical
3. Cyber and cloud demand continues to outpace supply

While overall salary growth has normalised compared to previous peaks, specialist architecture and AI leadership roles continue to command significant premiums.

For candidates, depth and delivery experience is what will make you stand out.

For employers, clarity of scope and decisiveness in hiring remains critical in securing top-tier talent.

Looking for detailed salary benchmarks?

This list reflects Australian averages across permanent tech roles. For state-by-state breakdowns, industry-specific insights and contract rate comparisons, explore our full More Than Money Salary Guide.

Interested in the flexibility provided by contract work? Find out the top 10 contractor day rates for 2026 or learn more about contracting through Talent.

Last updated: 6 March 2026

“I’m just your regular coastal girl.”

If you asked Rhiannan Iffland, professional cliff diver and seven-time consecutive Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion, to describe herself, that’s what she’d say.

Away from competition, off-season looks like wine with friends, surging, mountain biking, and skiing.

“I’m not great at any of them,” she admits. “But I really enjoy giving things a go. Competing is such a high emotional state. When it ends, I need something else to fill my cup.”

Within minutes of chatting to her on our latest episode, it becomes clear that the most defining thing about her isn’t the heights she jumps from, but how she approaches them.

Fear, to Rhiannan, is less about something to conquer and more about something to sit with.

Yes, she dives off platforms more than 20 metres above water. And yes, she won her first championship in 2016, the first-ever rookie to do so in their debut year.

But what stood out most wasn’t her career achievements. It was her honesty about the little voice in her head every single time she climbs the ladder.

Fear is part of the job

“That’s the biggest misconception about us divers,” she says. “That we are not scared. I can honestly tell you that every single time I go up there, there’s always that voice. That overwhelming feeling of emotions. It does get easier to deal with, but it never goes away.”

Instead of eliminating that fear, she manages it.

“I find most of the fear happens in the hours prior to the dive,” she explains. “I sit with it. I accept it. And by the time I step off, I have to focus on doing three flips with two twists.”

Unlike the preconceived notions of adrenaline-seeking chaos, Rhiannan’s sport is about precision, repetition and trust in muscle memory.

Even her most technical dive — the one packed with the most twists and rotations — still makes her question herself.

“The amount of times I’ve done it, I still step out there and think, am I going to know what to do? Is my body going to take over? And it usually does.”

That trust was tested in Romania, inside a salt mine 150 metres underground. “The water was 17% more dense than seawater, so the impact was strong. When you hit the water, you shot back up like a cork out of a champagne bottle… I didn’t know what to expect.”

It was a dive she could have never fully trained for, and her body just took over.

Joining the circus

Rhiannan grew up on the shores of Lake Macquarie, “I was always a water baby, always adventurous. I wasn’t really the academic of the family. I started gymnastics and diving when I was around nine.”

She then went into three-metre springboard and ten-metre platform diving with aspirations to represent Australia at the Olympics.

“I competed internationally as a junior and was on the cusp of making the senior team. Then I started to feel burnt out.”

Moving from Newcastle to Sydney to train full-time, Rhiannan reached a point where she felt she needed something different. After time off travelling, she was offered a job as an aquatic acrobat on a cruise ship.

“I remember running down to Dad in the backyard and saying, ‘Oh my God, they’ve offered me a job on a cruise ship as a diver.’ It was entertainment — diving, performing. That was the first time I was introduced to high diving above ten metres. As soon as I saw it in the show, I thought, I want to do that.”

The show was a one-hour long Cirque du Soleil-style — springboard diving, high diving, dancing (which she admits she was “absolutely terrible at”), aerial work, trampoline. Ten shows a week.

“It was fun. I developed new passions and skills, and it reignited my fire for the sport.”

Then, in 2013, women were introduced into the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

“As soon as I saw that, I started transitioning my skills towards high diving.”

Never closing the door

If there’s one philosophy that’s shaped her life and her career, it’s simple. The advice came from her grandfather: “Never close the door. Never turn down an opportunity. If you don’t like it, walk back through.”

Her sister told her the same thing before she joined the cruise ship, “If it doesn’t work, you can get on the next plan and come home.”

“It seems simple, but it goes a long way,” she says. “It’s better to have given it a good shot than to get a couple of years down the track and look back and go, hang on a minute, I should have tried that.”

Cruise ship circus, high diving, world series, a salt mine. Each of these started as a door that opened.

Not just a professional cliff diver

Rhiannan is someone who has built her career on courage, perspective, and a willingness to walk through doors before knowing exactly what’s on the other side.

But what makes her compelling isn’t just the height she jumps from — it’s the clarity she’s developed about who she is beyond it.

Every time she steps onto a platform, she thinks about her nephews and niece.

“If it goes well, they’re going to love me. If it doesn’t go well, they’re going to love me.”

That grounding is her secret weapon and reminds her that her identity isn’t tied to a scorecard or a podium.

She’s learned that fear sharpens you. That burnout doesn’t always mean the end. That you can leave a sport, run away with the circus, almost join the police force, and still circle back to the thing you love.

And when she’s not competing, she’s passing it forward by coaching.

“I love sharing the sport,” she says. “High diving isn’t easy to get into. I’ve helped a few divers transition into it, and that’s something I care about — helping others learn the ropes.”

Not just a professional cliff diver, Rhiannan Iffland is a competitor who embraces nerves, a mentor who shares her craft, and a coastal girl who never quite stopped being the energetic kid flipping on the grass.

To hear more of Rhiannan’s story in her own words, watch the full episode on our YouTube channel.

We’re hosting an ENGAGE-exclusive webinar to share our latest hiring market updates across Australia and New Zealand, and what they mean for contractors heading into 2026.

Hosted by JP Browne, Steve Jobson, and Sophia Parrelli, this session will unpack what we’re seeing on the ground — from where demand is lifting, to which skills are commanding attention, and how contractors can stay competitive in a more selective market.

We’ll cover:

• Predictions for the 2026 contract market across AU and NZ
• The hottest skills and capabilities in demand
• Regional hotspots and where opportunities are emerging
• How AI, infrastructure and transformation work are reshaping contract roles
• Practical ways to position yourself ahead of the competition

We’ll also leave time for a live Q&A, where you can submit your questions and hear directly from our recruitment experts.

Whether you’re actively contracting, considering your next move, or simply want a clearer view of what’s ahead, this session will give you a grounded, practical update on the 2026 market.

Session information

Date: Thursday, 12th March

Time: 12:00pm AEDT // 2:00pm NZDT

Where: Online via Zoom

Your Talent experts

JP Browne

JP is a Practice Manager from Auckland who has worked in tech recruitment for over 20 years. JP specialises in recruiting for C-Suite and leadership teams as well as project transformation.

Music is a big passion of JP’s and his vinyls have pride of place in his office. When not listening to music, he’s learning the piano and dreams of taking up the bagpipes again, and when the weather allows he’ll be doing a very average job of playing golf.

Steve Jobson

Steve is an Account Director in our Canberra office with over 26 years’ recruitment experience. He specialises in delivering ICT capability across Defence, the APS and ACT Government, with deep expertise in cleared recruitment and secure project environments.

Outside of work, Steve’s interests lean toward the action and espionage genre — his bookshelf is stacked with Tom Clancy, Jack Carr, Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Gregg Hurwitz and Mark Greaney. When he’s not immersed in a spy thriller, you’ll likely find him on the golf course or at the driving range.

Sophia Parrelli

Sophia is an Account Executive in our Sydney team with over five years’ recruitment experience. She partners with a range of corporate clients across technology, transformation, project services, engineering, and broader corporate functions.

When she’s not talking hiring strategy, Sophia can be found attempting pottery (with mixed results) or embracing her newest and most demanding role: full-time dog mum to her chaotic seven-month-old puppy, Bernie.

Find out more about contracting at Talent.

If you’re waiting for the telecommunications hiring market to “heat up” again, you might be looking for the wrong signal.

Because in 2026, the market is less “hot” and more focused.

As Steve Dybacz, Account Director and in-house telco expert at Talent Sydney, puts it:

“Two years ago there was a lot of vanity hiring. Now it’s about one question: can you actually deliver this programme without drama?”

This mindset shift is what’s defining telco hiring right now; more accountability and a much sharper lens on capability.

From hype to optimisation

12–24 months ago, 5G dominated the conversation. Today, the narrative has evolved.

“Fibre is still busy. 5G has moved from hype to optimisation,” Steve explains. “And we’re seeing far more spend on resilience and compliance than on flashy innovation.”

The build phase is far from over. Fibre rollout continues at pace as copper networks are decommissioned, while optimisation of existing infrastructure is now front and centre. Coverage, private networks and uptime are commercially critical — not just headline projects.

“Fibre and core network capability remain critical because the build is still happening — and copper is dying. That transition hasn’t slowed.”

At the same time, regulatory pressure, cyber risk and infrastructure funding cycles are shaping investment decisions.

“Resilience is no longer optional,” Steve says. “It’s a board-level issue.”

The skills that matter most this year

Hiring demand across telecommunications is clustering around a core set of high-impact capabilities:

• Network Engineering
• Fibre Optical Network Engineering
• RF Engineering
• Telecommunications Project Delivery
• Field Network Operations & Maintenance
• Network Operations (NOC)

RF engineering, in particular, is seeing renewed importance.

“RF matters more than the headlines suggest,” says Steve. “Coverage, optimisation and private networks are commercially important right now.”

And as budgets tighten, delivery risk is under scrutiny.

“Project people are in demand because budgets are tighter and failure is expensive. Organisations can’t afford programmes that drift.”

Meanwhile, operational roles are under relentless pressure.

“NOC and field capability doesn’t get the spotlight, but uptime is brutal and SLAs are unforgiving. That pressure isn’t going anywhere.”

This is not a speculative hiring cycle. It’s capability-led and operationally grounded.

The talent that’s hardest to find

While overall salary growth has stabilised, structural shortages remain in specific areas.

“The hardest profiles to secure are senior engineers who’ve actually designed the solution and then stood on site to deliver it,” Steve says. “That combination is rare.”

Candidates with the right clearances also remains particularly scarce.

“Cleared talent is a tiny pool — and everyone’s fishing in it.”

And there’s a noticeable thinning of the mid-market layer.

“Solid mid-level engineers who don’t need hand holding are surprisingly scarce. The market has thinned out in that middle layer.”

These gaps reflect a broader theme we explore in this year’s More than Money Salary Guide; skills and capability depth is becoming more important than job titles and headcount.

AI in telco: Evolution, not replacement

AI is increasingly present in telecommunications but not in the way headlines might suggest.

“It’s in optimisation, fault prediction and ticket triage,” Steve says. “It’s not replacing engineers but making average teams better and exposing weak ones.”

Organisations investing in AI are pairing it with strong engineering fundamentals and governance. It’s about augmentation, not substitution — a theme echoed in our broader Capability Gap insights.

“The organisations getting value from AI are the ones pairing it with strong engineering fundamentals, not using it as a shortcut.”

Leaner teams, sharper expectations

One of the clearest structural shifts in 2026 is how telco teams are being built.

“We’re seeing lean core teams, with specialists bolted on for programmes. Nobody’s carrying excess headcount.”

Permanent capability is focused on critical continuity and governance. Specialist contractors are brought in for defined programmes and complex delivery.

“Everyone’s wearing two hats now: technical delivery plus stakeholder management. Purely technical roles are becoming rarer.”

Stakeholder capability, commercial awareness and communication skills are now as important as deep technical expertise.

Salaries: Flat overall, premiums in pockets

Broadly speaking, remuneration has stabilised across much of the telco market, but premiums remain in specific segments.

“Salaries are broadly flat, but there are clear premiums for fibre design, RF optimisation, cleared roles and proven programme leads.”

In-demand specialists are still moving quickly when the right opportunity appears.

“Speed wins offers. The best engineers still move quickly when the right opportunity comes along.”

And employer behaviour is still critical to success.

“If you treat good engineers like commodities, you’ll lose them. The top performers know their value.”

The biggest hiring mistakes

Despite a more balanced market, some hiring behaviours haven’t caught up.

“Slow hiring processes are still the biggest obstacles,” Steve says.

And there’s also a tendency to over-specify.

“Unrealistic wish lists don’t help. If you’re looking for someone who can design, build, secure and commercially lead a programme, you’re narrowing the field dramatically.”

And high application volumes can be misleading.

“There’s still a tendency to assume supply equals suitability. High application volume doesn’t mean high capability.”

This mirrors what we’re seeing across sectors: volume is up, but genuine capability remains scarce.

The telco organisations who will succeed in 2026

Rather than aggressive expansion, telecommunications in 2026 is about resilience, optimisation and delivery.

Organisations that succeed will:

• Secure specialist capability early
• Structure teams intentionally
• Pair AI adoption with strong engineering fundamentals
• Move quickly when the right talent appears

The market may not feel “hot”, but it is demanding.

And in a sector where uptime is brutal and SLAs are unforgiving, focused hiring may prove more powerful than hype ever was.

To benchmark telco salaries, contract rates and in-demand skills across Australia and New Zealand, explore our More than Money Salary Guide 2026, including our latest Key Trends shaping capability investment in 2026.

We recently sat down with Dom Price on our latest podcast episode, and it didn’t take long to understand why his work resonates with so many people navigating modern workplaces.

Dom has spent years helping organisations rethink leadership, systems, and culture. He speaks to executives, teams, and communities around the world about the future of work as something people are already living day to day, rather than a distant concept.

However, behind his job, he’s someone driven less by answers and more by questions; someone who’s deeply curious about how work actually feels and why so many well-intentioned organisations keep getting in their own way.

A childhood shaped by questions

Dom describes himself as a curious kid; the kind who always wanted to understand why.

“I asked a lot of questions,” he says. “Probably too many questions.”

And that curiosity didn’t always make him popular in classrooms.

“I was the kind of kid who always wanted to understand why things worked the way they did. That showed up at school, sometimes to my teachers’ frustration. I wasn’t disruptive, but I was definitely challenging.  If something didn’t make sense to me, I’d ask why we were doing it that way. And sometimes the answer was, ‘Because that’s how it’s always been done.’”

Even as a child, this answer didn’t sit well with him. As he looks back, Dom sees a direct correlation between those early frustrations with the work he does now.

He’s still asking the same questions but now, it’s just at organisational scale: Why do we work like this? Who is this system really serving? What would happen if we designed work around people instead of control?

The gap between intention and reality

One of the themes Dom returns to again and again is the disconnect between what organisations say and what their systems actually do.

“People say, ‘We trust our teams,’” he explains. “But then they put layers of approval and control in place. And I couldn’t stop asking, ‘If you trust them, why does the system say otherwise?’”

This contradiction fascinates him. From his perspective, most workplaces don’t have a people problem.

“They have a system problem.”

Leaders ask people to collaborate more, innovate more, speak up more — without changing the environment they’re operating in.

“We reward compliance,” he says, “and then wonder why no one takes risks.”

Management, leadership, and the illusion of control

Dom is careful to distinguish between management and leadership, terms he explains are often used interchangeably, but shouldn’t be.

“They’re not [the same]. Management is about control. Leadership is about influence. Management asks, ‘Are you doing the thing?’ Leadership asks, ‘Are we doing the right thing?’ And a lot of organisations confuse the two.

“[This confusion happens] because management feels safer. Control gives the illusion of certainty. If I can measure it, approve it, and sign it off, I feel like I’m reducing risk.”

But that sense of safety is often an illusion. The more control organisations add, the slower and less adaptable they become, and it erodes the very trust that everyone says they want.

“Every leadership offsite starts with, “We trust our people.” And then you look at the system and think, “No you don’t.” If you trusted them, you wouldn’t need five layers of approval to buy a pen or make a decision that’s well within their role. We say we want autonomy, but we design environments that punish it.”

If it takes five layers of approvals to make a decision, the message is clear even if no-one says it out loud.

Psychological safety isn’t a buzzword

‘Psychological safety’ is a term Dom has always used deliberately.

“It’s about whether it’s safe to speak up,” he says. “Can I ask a question without being embarrassed? Can I challenge an idea without being punished? Can I admit I don’t know something? If the answer to those is no, then you don’t have psychological safety — no matter what your values poster says.”

Without that safety, he explains that everything else breaks down.

“You can’t have innovation without safety. You can’t have learning without safety. You can’t have accountability without safety.”

Instead, people retreat; they do the minimum and they protect themselves.

“And then leaders say, ‘Why is no-one engaged?’”

His frustration lies in the systems businesses have adopted across the board without question, directed at structures that ask for bravery and innovation while quietly penalising experimentation and questioning the status quo.

And this shows up in how most leaders are promoted into their roles.

Promoted into leadership, untrained for humans

One reason Dom has empathy for business leaders is that many of them were never set up to succeed.

“Most leaders were promoted because they were good at their jobs — not because they were good at leading people. And then we don’t train them. We just say, ‘Congrats, now you’re responsible for humans.’”

It’s something Dom finds astonishing and found himself questioning.

“We’d never do that with a system or a process, but we do it with people all the time.”

And the result is a generation of well-meaning leaders trying to do the right thing without the tools to do it well.

From a short stay to calling Australia home

Dom didn’t move to Australia intending to stay.

“The idea was I was only coming out here for a year and a half,” he says. “I’m like, I’ll play with it, I’ll taste it. Do a year and a half. And I had a plan to move back to the UK.”

At 24, the decision wasn’t part of a carefully mapped-out strategy. The same role he was doing in London existed in New York and Sydney.

“My instinct was… New York would be too much like London. So why not try the other thing?”

In London, his department was 450 people. In Sydney, it was 23. “If I’m one of 24, I think I’ll learn more than being one in 450.”

It first started with one Easter missed, then Christmas, then he went back home. And once he arrived, something had changed.

After a trip back to the UK, he was on the phone to his mum. “She’s like, ‘How’s it feel? You’re back?’ And I said, ‘You know what it’s like… it’s just so nice to get home.’ And I just said it. Normally. Didn’t even think.” There was a pause. “Well… that’s not your home. This is your home.”

“There’s no one day where it just became home,” he says. “It just kind of evolved over time.”

Permanent residency, citizenship, marriage. Instead of a milestone moment, at some point without announcing it, Australia stopped being the experiment and became home.

Failure, ego, and success

Failure has been one of Dom’s biggest teachers.

“I’ve failed plenty of times,” he says. “Projects that didn’t land. Ideas that didn’t work. Moments where I thought I had the right answer and absolutely didn’t. But I don’t see failure as a negative thing anymore.

“Early on, failure felt personal. Like it was a reflection of my capability or worth. Now I see it as data. Something didn’t work. Why? What can I learn from that? If you remove the ego from it, failure becomes incredibly useful.”

Removing ego from failure changes everything, and this shift in mindset turns mistakes into learning instead of shame. But this attitude change doesn’t happen automatically.

“No one enjoys getting something wrong,” Dom says. “But the organisations that grow are the ones that make it safe to experiment and safe to fail.”

When asked how he measure success now, Dom’s answer is simple: “Impact.”

If someone walks away thinking differently, acting differently, or feeling more confident to try something — he says that’s enough.

Titles matter far less to him than contribution.

“If you strip away the job title, what’s left?” he asks. “What value are you actually adding?”

It’s a question he applies to himself as much as to others.

Cooking without a recipe

Outside of work, Dom loves to cook.

“Cooking has just become such an important part of my life. I love it. […] This really frustrates my wife,” he laughs. “But I’ve never followed a recipe. I just make stuff up as I go along.”

And his spontaneity means meals are rarely replicated exactly.

“Every now and then you take something and go, ‘Can you make that again?’ And I’m like, yeah… maybe kind of something similar.”

For Dom, it’s creative release.

“I genuinely find it’s like a recharge for me,” he says. “The creativity side… the freedom, the liberation, the challenge… Where I get a real kick from it is seeing other people eat my food and enjoy it.”

His wife is a nutritionist and over time he’s realised their worlds aren’t as different as he first thought.

“When we first started dating, I thought what I did and what she did were completely different to each other. But the more I’ve become curious and interested in nutrition and wellness, I’m like, oh my God — what an overlap to the business world.”

What stood out to him was how she works.

“Even just the way she thinks about diagnosing before solving… the more holistic form of medicine. It’s not tablets or supplements or exercise or diet — it’s ‘and’.”

To Dom, that principle of diagnosing before you solve feels just as relevant in leadership.

“When you learn nutrition, you learn about mass population. But when you practice nutrition, every patient is different. And when you learn business, you learn generic case studies. So, if I go into any business and I don’t listen and learn for that nuance — the very unique elements — I will 100% recommend something that’s irrelevant.”

Completely different professions but more in common than you’d expect.

Not just an Activator

For a long time, Dom’s sense of self was closely tied to his work.

“If work was going well, I felt good. If it wasn’t, I felt like I was failing as a person.”

And untangling his work from him as a person took time.

“Work is something I do, not who I am,” he explains.

While he still cares deeply about the work he does, it’s no longer the only source of meaning.

“Relationships, health, curiosity, contribution outside of paid work — those things matter too.”

In a world that often leads with, “So, what do you do?” in Dom’s perspective, he says, “We lead with job titles as a shortcut to understanding someone. But it’s such a narrow slice of who they are.”

He’s built a career around helping organisations change how they work, but his real impact comes from how he thinks.

Dom’s interests don’t lie in certainty or performative leadership, he likes examining systems, behaviours, and the tactical everyday moments that quietly shape culture.

Not just an Activator, Dom is, by default, a challenger; someone who’s curious and believes work can be better and more human.

“We don’t need leaders who have all the answers,” he says. “We need leaders who ask better questions. Certainty shuts down conversation. Curiosity opens it up.”

Want to hear more of Dom’s story? Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

Shadow IT. Every organisation has it. Employees adopting new tools without official approval because it helps them get the job done faster. Now we’re seeing its next evolution: shadow AI. And it’s spreading faster than most leaders realise.

As JP Browne, Practice Manager at Talent Auckland, explains:

“The use of AI tools is prolific in every organisation, and it kind of just happened. Executives are scrambling to catch up, to either capitalise on it or put some structure around it.”

From staff pasting data into ChatGPT to marketing teams using generative tools for campaigns, shadow AI is already shaping workflows, decisions, and customer interactions. The question is: will your organisation keep pace, or fall behind?

The upside of shadow AI

It’s tempting to see shadow AI only as a risk. And yes, it comes with security, compliance, and ethical challenges. But there’s also a huge opportunity: grassroots innovation.

“Most of the experiments we’ve seen start with individuals in departments,” JP says. “They’re dabbling to find productivity gains or new insights, and that’s what’s forcing organisations to pay attention.”

In other words, shadow AI is where many of the best use cases are discovered. It’s employees closest to the problem spotting where AI can create value. Ignoring that would be a mistake.

The risks leaders can’t ignore

Of course, there is a dark side. Shadow AI introduces risks that can’t be brushed off:

• Data leaks. Sensitive customer data pasted into public AI tools can breach privacy laws and contracts.
• Security gaps. AI-generated code may introduce vulnerabilities that slip past standard reviews.
• Compliance issues. Using unapproved tools in regulated industries can expose companies to fines or reputational damage.

Jack Jorgensen, General Manager of Data, AI & Innovation at our IT delivery arm Avec, recalls:

“We’ve seen AI drop entire databases and then apologise. If you’re not putting guardrails around this, you’re gambling with your business.”

Why locking it down doesn’t work

Some organisations’ instinct is to ban AI tools outright but that would be a losing battle. Employees will find workarounds if the technology genuinely helps them.

Instead, leaders need to acknowledge shadow AI as a reality and bring it into the light.

“You can’t just bury your head in the sand,” JP stresses. “AI is in everything now, even your phone updates. The only question is whether you create a framework for using it safely.”

Turning shadow AI into an advantage

So, how do you harness the innovation of shadow AI without exposing your business to unnecessary risk? Start with three steps:

1. Listen first. Find out what employees are already using and why. Often these experiments highlight gaps in existing tools or processes.
2. Set clear guardrails. Develop policies around data security, compliance, and acceptable use. Make them practical so employees don’t feel forced underground.
3. Encourage responsible innovation. Provide safe sandboxes or approved platforms where staff can test and share ideas.

Jack’s advice:

“Don’t focus on speed for the sake of it. Focus on building velocity and a foundation that lets you scale safely and keep experimenting.”

The innovation edge

Shadow AI is a sign your people are hungry to innovate. Rather than suppressing it, leaders should channel it. The companies that do will move faster, find better use cases, and keep their competitive edge, and those that don’t risk being left behind by their competitors and their own employees.

Shadow AI isn’t a threat to stamp out. It’s a wave to ride. The businesses that embrace it with the right guardrails will unlock innovation and the ones that don’t will spend the next five years scrambling to catch up.

Discover how other organisations are navigating shadow AI in our AI survey results.

AI is changing the way we work faster than most organisations can adapt. Tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are already baked into everyday workflows. But here’s the catch: the more we rely on AI, the more critical thinking becomes the skill that separates the leaders from the laggards.

As Jack Jorgensen, General Manager of Data, AI & Innovation at our IT delivery arm Avec, explains:

“It’s easy to get caught up in the speed AI gives you. But if you don’t understand the problem you’re solving or what happens when the system breaks, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

AI is powerful, but it’s not infallible. And in a world where outputs can look convincing but still be completely wrong, critical thinking is the safeguard every professional needs.

The productivity trap

Many organisations rush into AI adoption with a focus on speed. How quickly can we roll this out? How much time can we save? That’s short-term thinking.

“Velocity is more important than speed,” Jack notes. “It’s not about being first to market with a shiny AI tool. It’s about building solid foundations so you can scale safely and sustainably.”

Critical thinking shifts the focus from how fast to how valuable. It asks: is this solving the right problem? Is it secure? Is it ethical? Does it actually add value for the business or customer?

Spotting the flaws

For those of us who use AI daily, spotting the flaws can feel obvious; six fingers on a generated image, or a chatbot confidently inventing a source. But as JP Browne, Practice Manager from Talent Auckland points out, it’s not always that simple:

“It’s getting harder and harder to tell what’s AI-generated. And that’s a huge risk if people stop questioning what they see.”

Critical thinkers don’t just accept outputs at face value. They test, validate, and challenge. That mindset is what prevents AI from becoming a liability instead of an asset.

Why this matters for every role

Critical thinking isn’t just for data scientists or IT leaders. It’s for recruiters screening AI-written CVs, finance teams reviewing AI-generated forecasts, and executives reading AI-drafted reports.

JP has already seen how over-reliance on automation can backfire in recruitment:

“Candidates are using AI to craft brilliant cover letters, but the CV doesn’t match the job. If you don’t apply a human lens, you’ll make bad hiring decisions.”

In other words, AI can help filter and accelerate, but without human judgment the wrong calls get made.

Building critical thinking in the AI era

So how do you make critical thinking a core skill in your team? Here are three steps:

1. Teach healthy scepticism. Encourage employees to question AI outputs, not just accept them.
2. Build human-in-the-loop processes. Always pair AI automation with human oversight where decisions impact people, money, or reputation.
3. Normalise checking sources. Whether it’s data, content, or code, make verification a cultural habit.

As Jack says:

“AI should be an enabler, not the thing doing all the work. Human judgment is what makes AI outputs valuable.”

The edge that can never be automated

The irony is that in a world obsessed with automation, the most valuable skills are the ones that can’t be automated. Curiosity. Scepticism. Judgment. Context.

Critical thinking isn’t just another “soft skill.” It’s the hardest edge businesses have in protecting themselves against AI risks and in making sure AI delivers genuine competitive advantage.

In the age of AI, the real superpower isn’t knowing how to prompt a chatbot. It’s knowing how to think critically about what it gives you. The leaders who sharpen that skill and build it across their teams will be the ones who thrive.

Find out how other organisations are navigating the changing AI landscape in our most recent AI report.

Known to many as Smallzy, Kent Small is the kind of broadcaster who makes global celebrities feel like old friends, who treats interviews as genuine conversations, and who still, after 23 years in radio, approaches his work with honest curiosity and care.

We recently sat down with Kent on the latest episode of our podcast ‘Not Just A…’ and, within minutes, it was obvious why Australia has spent decades inviting him into their cars, kitchens, and commutes.

But behind the microphone is something even more compelling: he’s a person who has spent a career learning how to stay himself in an industry that constantly tries to shape you into something else.

A radio nerd in the best way

Kent’s journey into radio began with listening.

“I used to listen as a kid, making mix tapes, recording songs off the radio,” he says. “But what was different for me is that I was more interested in what the people were saying between the songs. All my friends were like, ‘Who cares? Just play the music.’ And I was like, ‘No, I actually want to hear what the DJ has to say.’ I loved the IDs and sweepers, the production between tracks. I’d record that just to listen back.”

Kent was tuned into the banter, the personality, the little moments that made radio feel alive.

“So yeah,” he laughs. “I’m a radio nerd.”

Born for it? Maybe. But he was paying attention to these kinds of details long before he ever stepped into a studio.

The only job he’s ever had

Radio has always been Kent’s thing.

“What people need to know is that I’ve done nothing else except radio my entire career,” he says. “Apart from a great retail job… stacking CDs at Dick Smith. My casual job was putting CDs in those plastic hard lock case so no one would steal the album.”

It was a strangely perfect and ordinary origin for the future radio star, literally packaging music for other people to take home.

Kent’s first on-air gig was midnight to dawn at Nova and, for him, it was everything.

“Back then, I was so excited I’d get there at like 9pm, three hours earl,” he says. “If I was doing it again now, I’d probably roll in 10 minutes to midnight, just to make sure the mic worked and the coffee machine was on. But in those days, I was there so early just to talk three or four times an hour.”

Higher stakes, bigger consequences

These days, Kent’s world looks a little different: major networks, huge audiences, international press lines, Hollywood’s biggest names.

And with that comes pressure.

“The consequences are bigger,” he says simply.

Making a mistake at 19 on a small night show is one thing.

“Embarrassing yourself in an interview at 19 on a small night show is vastly different to sitting in front of Bradley Cooper next week and making a mistake. There are more people invested. People want outcomes.”

Not chasing headlines

Kent has interviewed just about everyone, but his approach has never been about getting a viral quote.

“I always pride myself on not being the guy chasing a headline,” he says. “My intention is to make them feel comfortable. Maybe they’ll offer something genuine.”

In a media landscape obsessed with soundbites and salacious headlines, he stays committed to authenticity over sensationalism.

One interview he mentions is the time he met Tom Cruise.

“Tom Cruise is one of the most memorable. So much gets said about him, but he’s one of the few Hollywood stars I’ve watched take the time to meet every single fan on the red carpet. He spent like three and a half hours saying hello to people. Then on the press line, where actors sometimes skip outlets… he spoke to everybody. Absolute professional.

“He does things that technically he doesn’t need to do, but everyone walks away going, ‘God, he’s a good guy.’”

Tom Cruise’s effort, respect, and showing up to events and interviews fully is especially noteworthy to Kent as that’s how he operates too.

The same person on-air and off

When asked about who he was when nobody’s watching, Kent shares that he doesn’t feel like he has two versions of himself.

“This is going to sound cliché, but I genuinely believe I’m the same person,” he says. “A lot of people put on their corporate hat when they walk into work. They leave their family, their desires, their real self at the door. I’m lucky that I do a job where they just want me. They want me as I am.”

But that comes with its own challenges as he admits he finds it difficult to conform and do what he’s told, comparing himself to golden retrievers: high energy, slightly chaotic, and needing a treat to cooperate.

His treat?

“Just praise,” he laughs. “Tell me I’m good and I will do whatever you want.”

Justice and politics

One character trait Kent says shows up strongly for him: justice.

“Justice is high for me. I get emotionally hooked when I feel like there’s injustice happening,” he says. “Someone’s been misled, lied to, manipulated, unfairly sacked… I lean into that. If I see you being critiqued for something that isn’t true, I’ll jump in.”

But he’s aware enough to know it’s a trait that can have consequences.

“Overusing or underusing any trait has consequences. Underusing justice means unjust things happen,” he explains. “Overusing it, you become a fighter, always correcting the record.”

Still, it speaks to who he is beneath his high-profile career in radio: he’s someone who cares deeply about fairness… and politics.

He shares, “I love politics. I spend my work life talking about what Taylor [Swift] had for breakfast, and then in my personal life going, ‘Did you see what happened today? What’s Trump done? What’s Albo up to?’ It’s total opposite.”

Living in the moment as he steps into KIIS

If Kent could tell his younger self one thing, it would be: “Enjoy the moment more and be present.”

Upon reflection, he acknowledges that in the early years of one’s career, you’re always chasing what’s next.

“When I look back at my early career, it was like the wild west,” he says. “You could get away with so much because the stakes were smaller. Now it’s still fun, but there’s a lot more on the line.”

And as he enters a new chapter at KIIS this year, he’s trying to take his own advice.

Not just a radio host

Kent “Smallzy” Small has built his career on compelling conversations, not only due to his ability to speak, but his ability to listen.

Not just a radio personality, he is a broadcaster who still feels excited by his craft, who cares more about people rather than viral headlines, and who shows up as his authentic self in an industry full of expectations.

He’s someone who believes curiosity is a strength, justice is a responsibility to shoulder, and feedback is only painful when ego gets in the way.

As he says, “The thing with feedback is you have to leave your ego at the door. Feedback only hurts because your ego is hurt.”

And perhaps most importantly, he reminds us that everyone is more than what we see.

“Imagine all of us are icebergs. We only show the world the 10% above the water,” he says. “But 90% of an iceberg is underneath the ocean. So we walk around only seeing the top 10% of people. But you compare your hidden 90% — your fears, insecurities, doubts — to the 10% you see of someone else. And you have no idea what’s going on underneath.”

To hear more of Kent’s story in his own words, watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

When most leaders talk about AI, the conversation is about productivity, cost savings, and innovation. But there’s a blind spot that can’t be ignored: ethics.

As JP Browne, Practice Manager from our Talent Auckland, who’s worked extensively in the insurance sector, warns:

“Nobody wants to end up on the front page because an AI system made the wrong call on a claim. That’s the kind of reputational damage you can’t come back from.”

Yet in many industries, ownership of AI ethics is missing. Governments are slow to legislate, and individual organisations are left to figure it out for themselves. The result? Huge risks hiding in plain sight.

The illusion of control

AI doesn’t just introduce new capabilities; it introduces new vulnerabilities. Jack Jorgensen, General Manager of Data, AI & Innovation at our project delivery arm Avec, highlights one recent example:

“A company built an entire software stack using AI-generated code. When their system was breached, 800,000 passports were leaked. That’s not innovation, that’s negligence.”

The rush to cut costs or speed up delivery often skips over the basics: security audits, human oversight, and clear accountability. Without these safeguards, AI can create more problems than it solves.

Ethics is more than compliance

Many organisations treat AI risks as a compliance issue: tick the right boxes and you’re safe. But as JP points out, ethics goes much deeper.

“In finance and insurance, compliance is the easy part. The harder part is asking whether it’s ethical to let AI decide someone’s mortgage, surgery, or claim outcome. Nobody wants to trust their future to a black box.”

The ethical stakes are high. And unlike sweatshops or environmental practices, consumers can’t easily “see” how companies are using AI. That makes transparency essential.

Jack even suggests that organisations should disclose their AI use openly:

“Imagine a badge on a company’s website saying how much of their service is powered by AI. That level of transparency builds trust and gives consumers real choice.”

The risks you’re probably missing

So, what are the hidden risks? Our recent AI survey surfaced three that too many leaders underestimate:

1. Security breaches. AI-generated code and automated systems can introduce new vulnerabilities, often unnoticed until it’s too late.
2. Bias and fairness. Algorithms trained on flawed data can reinforce discrimination in all process including hiring, lending, or claims processing.
3. Reputational damage. Whether it’s unfair exam results (like the UK’s failed GCSE grading algorithm) or customer data leaks, public trust can vanish overnight.

As Jack notes, “The hype around AI can drown out the noise. But the reality is, these risks are already here and they’re escalating.”

Why leadership matters

The absence of clear ownership is one of the biggest barriers to managing AI risk. In many organisations, executives are excited about AI but pass the responsibility to IT. That’s not enough.

AI ethics requires leadership at the top. It means asking:

• Who is accountable for AI decision-making?
• How transparent are we willing to be with customers?
• What safeguards are we putting in place to avoid harm?

Without executive buy-in, ethics gets sidelined until a crisis forces the issue.

From risk to responsibility

Ethics isn’t about slowing down innovation. It’s about ensuring innovation doesn’t destroy trust. Businesses that lead on AI ethics will stand out not just for their technology, but for their credibility.

JP sums it up well:

“AI is in everything now, from your phone updates to the way companies deliver services. If you don’t set ethical guardrails, you’re leaving your organisation and your customers exposed.”

AI ethics isn’t optional. The risks are real, the costs are high, and the responsibility is yours. Organisations that embrace transparency and accountability now will be the ones consumers trust tomorrow.

Learn more about what else professionals are concerned about around AI in the workplace in our latest report.

If you’re looking to start a new AI or data project, get in touch with Jack’s team to ensure it’s built on a secure and ethical foundation.

Before she was negotiating sponsorships and guiding elite athletes through career-defining moments, Alex Williamson was working inside Parliament House for Australia’s first female Prime Minister, observing how ambition, visibility, and scrutiny collide when women step into the public eye.

Today, Alex is one of Australia’s leading sports agents for female athletes, representing Olympians and Matildas at the highest level of competition. We sat down with Alex for our latest podcast episode to talk about who she is beyond the job title: the parts you don’t see on game day, in the brand campaign, or in the celebratory headline.

The unexpected route to sports

“I’ve had a pretty interesting journey. If someone had told me 10 or 15 years ago that I’d become a sports agent, I wouldn’t have believed them,” says Alex.

She began by studying PR and marketing, dabbling in junior communication roles, and working out what she liked and what she didn’t. Like many people who start in publicity with bright-eyed expectations, she quickly learned that the job is less glamour and more grind.

“It sounds glamorous, but it’s a lot of hard yards and underpay,” she says.

Then came a move that would shape the rest of her career in ways she couldn’t have predicted. Alex was offered an opportunity to move to Canberra to work for Julia Gillard, who at the time was Deputy Prime Minister.

“I came on as her media assistant,” Alex says. “I was very fortunate that I worked with her for five and a half years.”

It was a chapter of her life and career that had nothing to do with sports and everything to do with pressure, public scrutiny, and what happens when women operate in highly visible roles.

What pressure looks like when it’s gendered

Alex’s years in politics gave her a front-row seat to how the public treats ambitious women. She saw why scrutiny hits harder, confidence is policed, and being ‘too much’ is somehow still a career risk for women, and it applied no matter it be Parliament or sports.

“I saw firsthand the pressure and expectations placed on women in the public eye — what they wear, how they speak, how they behave,” she says. “You see the same expectations placed on female athletes, just in a different setting.”

“After question time, every single day, the phones just rang constantly. And it was not about policy. It wasn’t about anything of importance. It was about what she was wearing.”

It was the same playbook. Different stage, same rules.

The emotional cost of “personal touch”

Agents are often seen as transactional — you come in, you sign a contract, here’s your deal with brand X, see you in 12 months’ time. And Alex is clear that this was never the model she wanted to follow.

“I wanted it to be very personal,” she says. “The girls are constantly hearing from me and vice versa. I’m with them every step of the way.”

This choice meant her role extends well beyond contracts and campaigns, and a significant part of her work is providing emotional support, shaped by where an athlete is in their sporting life cycle and what’s happening off the field.

Alex currently represents 17 women at different stages of their careers. “There can be four or five of them having a really rotten time at once,” she says. “Some days you go home and you think, that’s been a lot today.”

It’s a side of the role that is less visible and where the stakes feel deeply personal.

A night that changed her inbox

The quarterfinal of the Women’s World Cup was a moment that encapsulated the speed at which women’s sport shifted from undervalued to unavoidable.

Alex’s agency manages Cortnee Vine, and she describes the moment with a kind of awe that still sounds fresh. “Cortnee is the woman who scored the penalty at the quarterfinal — the final penalty. Cortnee changed the trajectory of the Matildas,” she says.

After the match, emotions ran high, there were hugs, tears, and the electric feeling of being inside something bigger than sport… And that’s when Alex’s phone started to melt.

The scale of it all hit by the next morning. “I woke up in Brisbane and I had 700 new emails about Cortnee,” she says. “And I was like, what do I even do with this?”

At the time, it was only Alex and her business partner Leon running the agency. No big team or safety net for support. So, she got practical and a little old-school.

“I printed off every single email,” she says, trying to make the chaos manageable by protecting her athlete’s focus (especially mid-tournament) while turning a tidal wave of opportunity into something tangible.

Athletes first, brands second

In an industry driven by speed and access, Alex’s instinct is restraint. When brand opportunities arise mid-tournament, she is careful about how and when they’re raised with athletes.

“I try not to,” she says. “Nine times out of ten, they say tell me when it’s all over. If a brand doesn’t respect that, they’re not the right brand for an athlete anyway. Any brand has to respect the fact that the athlete’s craft is the priority. The rest of it is redundant.”

Simply, if that performance suffers, everything else falls away.

Particularly in women’s sport, where athletes are often expected to do more, carry more, and grow the game at the same time they’re competing in it, this is a recalibrated approach of what commercial opportunity should look like.

Politics is still her Super Bowl

Even after leaving Parliament House, politics never really left Alex.

“I love politics,” she says. “Election time — that’s my Super Bowl.”

She’s fascinated by personalities, strategy, and the visual storytelling behind public life — a natural curiosity within her work curating the look and feel of moments that would later lead the news.

That breadth of experience gives her a clear understanding of how much narrative matters. How perception shapes value. How women are judged on presentation as much as performance.

How far women’s sport has come

Ask Alex where women’s sport is at, and she gives you both optimism and a reality check in the same breath.

“It’s come a long way, but there’s still so much to do,” she says. “I remember Matildas games with a few hundred people in the stands — now they’re selling out stadiums.”

The progress is undeniable, but for Alex, growth isn’t the end point.

“The next step is real investment and parity — both in playing contracts and commercial outcomes,” she says. “When female athletes across sports become household names and are paid fairly, that’s when we’ll know real change has happened.”

More than just a sports agent

If you ask Alex what she wants to be known for, she says, “Supporting women to succeed on their own terms, and being a great mum. Those are the two things that matter most to me.”

For Alex, it’s all connected.

The patience learned under extraordinary pressure. The integrity that anchors her decisions. The instinct to protect people when the stakes are high. The loyalty people around her rely on. The empathy that shows up when an athlete is struggling. The boundaries that keep the craft first.

Alex is proof that careers aren’t always linear, and that the qualities that make you good at your job often have little to do with the title you hold.

Want to hear more of Alex’s story? Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

Key takeaways

1. Candidate activity is intensifying, even as job ads level out
Applications per job ad continues to surge due to cost-of-living pressures pushing more people into the market. Employers will continue to deal with far higher application volumes per role (especially as both sides become increasingly AI-enabled), leaving internal TA teams swamped with CVs and slowing down sourcing and shortlisting times.

2. State hiring conditions are diverging
WA, QLD, and SA continue to show strong hiring demand, while NSW, VIC, and especially the ACT face softer hiring conditions and fewer job ads.

3. AI is reshaping job expectations and forcing employers to rethink capability building
Most roles are expected to change due to AI augmentation, and demand for AI skills in job ads has surged. However, the impact on hiring is based more on uncertainty than reality. For now, this means early-career hiring and internal upskilling matter more than ever.

Introduction

As 2025 draws to a close, workforce planning is front-of-mind for employers navigating steady inflation, slower economic growth, shifting candidate behaviour, and fast-evolving AI expectations.

To help map this out, we’ve combined our recruitment experts’ on-the-ground insights with SEEK’s latest market data — shared in our recent webinar with SEEK Senior Economist, Blair Chapman — to unpack what the macroeconomic indicators can tell us as we head into the new year.

Australia’s hiring landscape: The national trends that will shape 2026

Australia’s macroeconomic environment continues to reshape workforce dynamics heading into 2026, and while conditions aren’t extreme, they’re definitely shifting.

Slower employment growth means hiring will feel more measured

Australia’s economy is “returning to trend”, but that trend means slower growth than pre-COVID. Employers are thinking harder about where roles sit, how teams are structured and what genuinely needs to be added. Hiring cycles may slow slightly as organisations prioritise clarity and ROI over rapid expansion.

Consumer activity is lifting, supporting hiring in key sectors

As discretionary spending returns, industries like retail, tourism, logistics and hospitality are feeling the uptick. For employers, this means renewed demand for customer-facing roles and increased competition for workers across trades, transport, supply chain and service sectors.

Matthew Munson, Managing Director at Talent Sydney, echoes this:

“The lift in consumer activity is a welcome shift and will absolutely drive more hiring across key service sectors. But it comes with a caveat: inflation is edging up again, and any further interest rate rises could cool spending just as momentum returns. It’s a positive trend, but one that still depends on broader economic stability.”

Persistent inflation is driving stronger salary expectations

Inflation is above the RBA’s target range, pushing candidates to be more pay-conscious. While wage growth has eased, SEEK advertised salaries are rising again – especially for job switchers. Employers should expect more salary-driven conversations and tighter candidate negotiation margins.

Job ads have stabilised, but candidate activity is rising fast

SEEK job ads are holding steady at sustainable levels, but applications per ad have surged due to increasing cost-of-living pressures. While this means hiring teams have more options when hiring, it also means applicant pools are much more competitive and screening becomes harder to manage.

Matthew adds:

“Across the corporate sector, we’re still seeing a steady flow of redundancies, and that’s likely to push unemployment higher in the months ahead. As more candidates enter the market, those already-growing applicant pools will expand even further. For employers, that means greater choice, but also a significant lift in the volume and complexity of applications to manage.”

AI is reshaping roles and accelerating demand for new skills

Most jobs will change in some way due to AI augmentation and SEEK job ads referencing AI skills have climbed sharply with more roles now designed with AI-enabled tools and productivity in mind. However, Blair cautions businesses not to cut junior or graduate hiring, which will create major capability gaps in the next three to five years, when experienced AI-literate talent will be far more expensive to secure.

Regional breakdown: Hiring outlook for 2026

While national trends point to a more balanced labour market, here’s how conditions are shaping up across the states we operate in.

Western Australia (WA)

Western Australia remains one of Australia’s strongest labour markets. Employment growth has been rapid since COVID, supported by strong population inflows and government incentives aimed at attracting tradies and boosting construction capacity. Demand remains high across trades, engineering, mining, logistics and infrastructure. Next year, expect tighter talent pools, fast-moving recruitment, and continued pressure for skilled workers.

South Australia (SA)

SA has been the standout performer over the past year, posting some of the strongest employment growth nationally. Relaxed building regulations are fuelling construction activity, and government efforts to attract innovation and professional talent are paying off. In 2026, we expect to see elevated hiring across construction, project services, emerging industries and professional roles.

Anthony Whyte, Managing Director at Talent Adelaide shares:

“SA has multiple ‘multi-generational’ builds running at once—AUKUS/Osborne shipyard expansion, major road projects (e.g. Torrens-to-Darlington), new hospital builds, big housing programs, plus energy investments. These are labour-intensive and will create spillover jobs in engineering, project services, logistics, and professional services.

In addition, Defence, space, cyber, and critical tech clusters (especially around Lot Fourteen and Defence SA precincts) are maturing, shifting from “startup vibe” to real headcount growth.”

Queensland (QLD)

Queensland’s post-COVID growth has cooled but remains solid. The state continues to benefit from interstate migration, which is expanding its labour force and supporting steady hiring demand, and job ads remain elevated in many regions despite recent moderation. Demand looks to remain stable across construction, community services, health, logistics, and regional roles for 2026.

New South Wales (NSW)

NSW has slowed more noticeably compared to other regions. Employment has moved sideways for around a year, and Sydney has seen one of the sharper drops in job ads compared to other metros. Hiring has become more measured with employers taking longer to decide. In 2026, expect bigger applicant pools, more competition for roles offering stability, and steadier hiring in tech, professional services, and government-adjacent sectors.

Matthew also shares:

“In NSW, we’re cautiously optimistic about the year ahead. Government spending appears to have stabilised, and with an election on the horizon in 2027, we’re expecting investment to gradually lift. The financial sector has spent much of this year tightening costs, but several critical projects are already lining up for 2026.

We’re also seeing encouraging signs in healthcare, construction and cyber, along with renewed activity in the private equity space with many firms sitting on capital they’re ready to deploy. If that translates into the technology sector, it could provide a meaningful boost to hiring momentum across the state.”

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

The ACT is feeling the largest hit, driven almost entirely by a steep drop in Government & Defence job ads (down approximately 20% in the past year according to SEEK data). Ads are now well below pre-COVID levels, feeding directly into softer hiring conditions in Canberra. Next year, the signs point to larger applicant pools, slower hiring cycles, and improved access to talent for private sector employers.

Robert Ning, Managing Director at Talent Canberra, adds:

“Across the ACT, the most telling shift this year has been the way several departments have cancelled or scaled back projects mid-delivery. Despite this, we’ve continued to stay close to shifting priorities and helping organisations navigate tightened budgets.

SEEK’s data showing rising applicants per role versus fewer ads posted overall is also further exacerbating pressures for job seekers. However, for employers, it’s creating a window to access specialist capability that has traditionally been in short supply. Organisations that take a longer-range view in 2026 will be well positioned to strengthen critical teams, secure high-quality candidates, and build capability before demand rebounds.”

Victoria (VIC)

Victoria continues to add jobs at a consistent pace and its housing market has re-accelerated following rate cuts. The new year will continue to show steady demand across construction, education, health, community services, and technology roles.

As Simon Yeung, Managing Director at Talent Melbourne, puts it:

“Victoria enters 2026 with a broadly positive employment outlook, underpinned by strong demand in sectors such as healthcare, construction, education and technology. Demographic trends — including delayed retirements and Melbourne’s rapid population expansion — are reinforcing these opportunities.

With Melbourne now outpacing Sydney in growth and on track to become Australia’s largest city, pressure on talent demand will only intensify. However, the benefits will not be evenly distributed. Success will increasingly hinge on targeted skills, flexibility, and more precise alignment between talent supply and market need.”

What employers should prioritise in 2026

With a more balanced labour market, shifting salary expectations, and the rise of AI-enabled work, hiring managers and business leaders heading into 2026 will need to be sharper and more intentional in their workforce planning.

Build capability, not gaps

Don’t replace early-career hiring with AI. Cutting junior and graduate roles now will leave organisations scrambling and paying a premium for experienced talent in a few years. Maintaining your entry-level pipelines and building structured pathways for upskilling will set your business up for success.

Stay competitive on salaries

Candidates are more financially aware and more willing to walk for a better offer. With advertised salaries rising faster than wage growth, benchmarking will be crucial to securing and retaining strong talent.

Streamline hiring processes

Applications per job ad continue to remain high, and hiring teams will feel it. Clear screening criteria, fast communication, and a strong candidate experience will help ensure you don’t lose standout talent in the process.

Prepare teams for AI-enabled roles

More roles will integrate AI tools, automation, and augmented workflows. Employers who proactively build AI literacy will see stronger productivity uplift and better employee engagement as expectations shift, even if it’s only at a foundational level.

Adopt region-specific hiring strategies

A one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it with WA and SA running hot, NSW and the ACT cooling, and QLD and VIC sitting in the middle. Tailor your hiring timelines, salary positioning, and EVP messaging to the realities of each region.

Looking ahead

Australia’s labour market is shifting into a more stable phase defined by strong candidate activity, varied hiring conditions across states, and the growing influence of AI at work. Salary pressure remains real, job applications are rising, and employers are becoming more intentional about where and how they hire.

For HR and TA leaders, the priorities for 2026 are clear: protect your early-career pipelines, benchmark thoughtfully, keep your hiring process sharp and build AI capability across your teams.

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Jason Waterhouse’s career and achievements as a two-time Olympian and competitive sailor all leads back to his family and childhood. Passionate sailors, his parents bought a yacht back when he was younger, and the family set out from Sydney’s Northern beaches to sail around the world for four years.

This unconventional childhood is what fostered his love of the ocean and helped him build an impulse for adventure and instinct for problem-solving that would eventually carry him through the most demanding environments on the global stage.

We sat down with Jason for our latest podcast episode to find out the person, process, and passion behind the trophies.

Dealing with pressure as a competitive athlete

Competitive sailing wasn’t love at first sight for Jason, at eight years old he competed for the first time filled with nerves and zero interest in doing it again. But he kept at it until it all became his new norm. At 14, he qualified to represent Australia in the UK and his first taste of competing internationally was what “lit the candle” for Jason.

“Meeting international competitors, being part of something bigger — it was addictive,” he says.

His first big lesson in pressure came early. In the final race of his first major event, he and his partner went from a silver-medal position to completely off the podium in a single race. He laughs about it now, but it stuck, “The early exposure to pressure was valuable. I kept competing internationally and eventually won gold in Brazil on my fourth attempt.”

His progress came in repetition: racing, reviewing, refining… Slowly getting more comfortable performing under pressure.

His time as an Olympian

Jason’s Olympic story spans across two Games with completely different atmospheres. Rio 2016 offered the classic Olympic experience: an electric city, dense crowds, families lining the foreshore, and a sense of shared excitement that athletes often describe as once in a lifetime.

Then came Tokyo 2020 in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic. No spectators, no family, no movement outside the village. “It was a completely different experience,” he says. “But I was grateful it went ahead.”

Between the two Games he had become a consistent performer in mixed-gender catamaran racing with his cousin and sailing partner, Lisa Darmanin, and their ability to communicate clearly under pressure and adapt to each other’s styles became their edge.

After Tokyo, Jason began preparing for Paris but two things happened: he became a father, and he received an opportunity to join the America’s Cup in Barcelona. “It was the toughest professional call I’ve had to make,” he says, “but no regrets.”

SailGP and the art of flying a boat

While Olympic sailing focuses on technical skill, endurance, and tactical precision, SailGP is a high-speed, high-tech spectacle built for thrilling, rapid-fire racing.

SailGP races are tight and each person on board has a highly specialised role, and Jason’s is one of the most technical: flight controller. “I control the hydrofoils — lifting the boat, balancing it, and keeping it efficient,” he says. “It’s very precise.”

The difference between a smooth race and a costly mistake can be millimetres and milliseconds. Beyond the 20-minute race window, the sport is about the travel load, the weight requirements, the physical strain, and the need to think clearly while moving at speeds where the smallest miscalculation gets amplified.

People also often assume the biggest challenge is the racing, but Jason disagrees, sharing, “I’ve had injuries since I was 14 and managing them is a big part of the job.” So much of the elite sport sits outside of public view, and training becomes as much about staying mobile and pain-free as it is about strength or speed. Rehab becomes routine, and working with physios and sports psychologists becomes part of the support structure that keeps him performing at the level required.

Communication: the skill that holds it all together

Ask Jason what he considers one of his core strengths, and he’ll point to communication. Shaped by years of working with crews of different cultures from Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan, he’s gained the ability to understand how different people read information, process pressure, and collaborate.

This showed up repeatedly in his partnership with Darmanin, and their contrasting communication styles were something they learned to leverage. It meant reading each other, setting each other up, and understanding what each person needed before stepping into high-pressure environments.

The same skillset helped him navigate a key moment in SailGP. Before a season-defining race in San Francisco, a poor training day left him feeling off. Instead of trying to conceal it, he told his teammates directly and it reset the tone. They regrouped, adjusted, and performed the next day with clarity.

In a sport where pressure is constant and decisions are instantaneous, he shares that those conversations often dictate outcomes as much as raw skill does.

Life on the move, and life as a dad

The reality of Jason’s life as a sailor is the amount of time he spends up in the air travelling, with SailGP having 12-13 events a year. A huge part of his behind the scenes is managing flight itineraries, hotel rooms, time zone changes, and a schedule that rarely looks the same month-to-month.

Among all of this, his family is an important centre of gravity for Jason, and becoming a father added a new dimension to his relationship with risk and routine. It also gave him a fresh appreciation for the decisions his parents made two decades ago.

“When I think about taking my daughter out the way my parents took me, I suddenly understand the courage it took,” he says. “It hits differently.”

Handling long stretches solo while he’s overseas, Jason shares that the moment he walks through the door, the handover is instant, “[My wife] just hands me the baby sometimes and goes, ‘Your turn.’ And you’re just like, what time zone am I on? But it’s such a privilege — these are such little small world problems.”

The work behind the wins

Strip away the titles and trophies and Jason’s career looks less like a straight line of achievements and more like a long stretch of disciplined behind-the-scenes work which is the very foundation of how he performs and lives.

Jason is an athlete shaped by an unconventional childhood, a skilled communicator, and a competitor who understands that the work off the water is often what determines what happens on it.

Want to hear more of Jason’s story in his own words? Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.