MELBOURNE
MARKET OVERVIEW
Melbourne
Melbourne was impacted more than the rest of Australia by the COVID pandemic during 2020, both with regard to the tragedy of 820+ COVID related deaths, and the “economic deep freeze” induced by the two government mandated lockdowns for a combined period exceeding six months.
However, the IT sector has fared much better than many other sectors such as universities, tourism, retail and hospitality. While the impact on the labour market in those particular sectors also had an impact on demand for IT workers from those industry sector employers, the demand for IT workers in the rest of the economy remined robust. In particular, demand for IT workers was strong for State and Federal government bodies, utilities, banking and finance, many major retailers, transport and logistics, and ASX200 industrials such as mining, essential and medical manufacturing, and healthcare.
Towards the end of 2020 and the start of 2021 the market lifted, and demand for IT contract and permanent staff saw a noticeable increase. While the aforementioned sectors remained strong, the education, hospitality, construction and retail sectors also improved and a number of new IT projects came online as companies pivoted from survival to resumption of their business and forward planning.
The increase in online shopping, working from home, online and remote learning, and online access for services from government bodies, banking and financial services, among others, has all created increased demand and thus improved salaries and contractor rates for front-end and full stack developers. As organisations decentralised, the shift towards cloud-first strategy amplified and the demand for cloud architects and engineers also increased. Cybersecurity attacks also increased in 2020 and so did the demand and pay rates for cybersecurity professionals. Technologies that were more niche pre-COVID have expanded substantially, such as DevSecOps, GitOps, and Automation (RPA).
Last but not least, the maxim that “software is eating the world” continues to hold true as the general demand and population of software developers including Java, Python, .Net and Javascript across Melbourne continues to increase.
Simon Yeung
General Manager - VIC
Talent
TALENT INSIGHTS
Melbourne
TECH TALENT
85,561 technology professionals, with an average tenure of 1.4 years.
FASTEST HIRING JOBS
Support Coordinator, Salesforce Developer, Security Analyst, Security Engineer, Data Engineer, Cybersecurity Analyst
IN-DEMAND SKILLS
Data Analysis, Microsoft Azure, Python, Cloud Computing, Java, Service Desk
IN-DEMAND BENEFITS
Flexible working conditions, training and development, career development
TOP TECH EMPLOYERS
Telstra, NAB, ANZ, NBN, Infosys
GENDER IDENTITY*
69% Male
31% Female
*The information in this site has been retrieved from sources with gender binary data. We acknowledge those who do not fit within this rigid framework and understand there are many more gender identities beyond the binary.
LIVING IN THE CITY
Melbourne
Melbourne is a mecca for people who want to live in a vibrant city with access to the best food, wine, art and culture. The rapid growth of the technology industry, supported by the fact Melbourne is home to more than half of Australia’s top 20 tech companies means that the city is attracting some of the world’s best tech talent.
Named as the most liveable city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit for six years in a row due to the city’s dynamic business environment, education opportunities, quality of life and globally connected multicultural communities. The costs of living are on par with Sydney with housing slightly less, but as you will see in this guide the salaries are relative to the costs and as they say, you get what you pay for.
All prices quoted are in local currency.
Average cost of a coffee
$4.42
Average cost of renting a 1 bed in the city
$1762/month
Average gym membership per month
$64
SALARY DATA
Melbourne
Permanent roles are annual salaries and contract rates are hourly. All data is in local currency. Salaries are exclusive of superannuation. Contractor rate is the rate paid to the contractor.
Feeling inspired? Find your next opportunity in Melbourne here
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