Advertised salaries have hit their highest annual growth since August 2024, but the picture looks very different depending on your industry. SEEK Senior Economist Dr Blair Chapman explains what’s driving the divide.
What’s happening: Australia’s advertised salaries grew 3.8% year-on-year in January 2026, their fastest annual rate since August 2024, according to the SEEK Advertised Salary Index.
Why this matters: Salary growth and hiring momentum are concentrated in specific sectors, while others, particularly technology and professional services, continue to retreat. Where you work increasingly determines what you earn.
Australia’s jobs market started 2026 on steadier footing, with new data from SEEK pointing to modest but consistent momentum in both hiring activity and advertised pay.
Advertised salaries grew 3.8% year-on-year in January 2026, according to the SEEK Advertised Salary Index (ASI), reaching their highest annual growth rate since August 2024. Monthly growth held at 0.3%, a rate that has been sustained or exceeded for six consecutive months.
SEEK Senior Economist Dr Blair Chapman described the trajectory as one of gradual acceleration.
“Advertised salary growth has continued to accelerate slightly, rounding to 3.8% year-ended, with relatively stable growth over the past six months,” he said.
“Annual growth is the fastest it has been since August 2024, after slowing in late 2024 and early 2025. This is despite the slowest annual employment growth since 2016, ignoring 2020, which was impacted by the pandemic.”
On cost of living, Dr Chapman noted that employee living cost growth had slowed to 2.3% year-ended in the December quarter, meaning workers who secured advertised salary increases would have seen real wage growth. However, he flagged a complication ahead.
“The recent increase in mortgage rates, following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to raise their policy rate, will likely see cost of living pick up as higher mortgage interest payments take effect,” he said.
A tale of two sectors
The salary data reveals a sharp divide between industries. Education and Training recorded the fastest annual advertised salary growth at 6.2% year-on-year, driven by persistent teacher shortages spanning early childhood through to secondary school. Community Services and Development followed closely at 5.3% year-on-year, with the Fair Work Commission’s Aged Care Work Value Case, which recommended wage increases for personal care workers and nurses across multiple stages including 2025, a likely contributor to that result. Consulting and Strategy also outpaced most industries at 5.3% annually, despite demand for workers in that sector easing slightly over the course of 2025.
At the other end, Science and Technology advertised salaries declined 0.4% over the past 12 months, with job ads in the industry continuing to fall from their post-COVID peak. Marketing and Communications also slipped into negative territory at minus 0.3% annually.
At a state level, the Australian Capital Territory recorded the fastest annual growth at 4.3%, supported by a relatively low unemployment rate and enterprise bargaining agreements across the public sector. Victoria had the slowest growth nationally at 3.2%, with a higher unemployment rate suggesting some spare capacity in the labour market was keeping advertised salary growth in check.
Where the jobs are
On the hiring side, January’s employment data showed continued momentum in the sectors that have driven much of Australia’s recent labour market activity. Job ads rose 0.7% month-on-month nationally, with Construction up 1.2% and Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics up 1.0% for the month. Engineering was the strongest performer over the quarter, up 4.2%, followed by Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics at 3.6% and Construction at 3.2%.
Tasmania led the monthly state gains at 1.0%, recording consecutive rises for the first time since early 2024, partly driven by a 1.2% jump in Healthcare and Medical job ads. Western Australia and South Australia both rose 0.8% month-on-month, while the Australian Capital Territory was the only state or territory to record a decline at minus 0.2%.
The pattern of growth was not uniform. Job ads in New South Wales and Victoria, despite monthly rises, remained below January 2025 levels, weighed down by lower volumes in Education and Training, Information and Communication Technology, and Healthcare and Medical roles. The Northern Territory and the ACT both recorded double-digit annual declines, with ICT postings in the capital down 18.1% year-on-year.
Applications per job ad fell 1.8% month-on-month in December 2025, the sixth consecutive monthly decline, though levels remain elevated relative to pre-COVID norms.
The outlook ahead
Dr Chapman described a labour market that has found a temporary equilibrium, though one that remains sensitive to broader economic conditions.
“In seasonally adjusted terms, this January was the fastest growing since January 2021. This means we now have three consecutive months of trend growth,” he said.
“This month, like much of the past quarter, demand growth was concentrated in cyclical, goods-linked sectors such as Construction and Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics, while many professional and service-based roles continued to retreat.”
On what comes next, Dr Chapman was measured.
“The labour market is neither accelerating nor declining. Instead, it appears to be stabilising at a subdued level. Whether this modest momentum can be sustained will depend on business confidence, consumer spending, and the trajectory of interest rates in the months ahead.”
All figures are sourced from the SEEK Advertised Salary Index and SEEK Employment Report for January 2026. Commentary is attributed to Dr Blair Chapman, SEEK Senior Economist.
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