HR, recruitment roles report a 2.1% annual growth rate
Advertised salaries in job postings grew by 0.3% in January, according to a new report, with annual figures logging the fastest growth since August 2024.
Data from SEEK's Advertised Salary Index showed a 3.8% year-on-year growth in advertised salaries across Australia.
"Annual growth is the fastest it has been since August 2024, after slowing in late 2024 and early 2025," said Blair Chapman, senior economist at SEEK.
"This is despite the slowest annual employment growth since 2016, ignoring 2020, which was impacted by the pandemic."
Advertised salaries per industry
Advertised salaries for Human Resources and Recruitment roles followed the country's trend with a 0.4% growth rate in the past three months and a 2.1% growth rate in the past year.
Meanwhile, the Education and Training industry recorded the fastest annual and quarterly advertised salary growth with a 6.2% year-on-year growth and a 1.9% growth in the past three months.
"Demand for staff in Education & Training has been robust for some time and teachers have been in shortage across early childhood education through to secondary school," the report noted.
The Community Services and Development industry also posted relatively fast annual (5.3%) and quarterly (1.8%) advertised salary growth, which the report attributed to the recommended salary increases from the Fair Work Commission.
"The Fair Work Commission's Aged Care Work Value Case, which recommended increases in the wages of personal care workers and nurses in Aged Care across multiple stages, including award wage increases in 2025, has probably contributed to the faster advertised salary growth in the industry," the report read.
However, Australia's Science and Technology industry reported a weaker advertised salary growth, posting a -0.4% rate both annually and quarterly.
"The stagnation reflects ongoing falling demand, with job ads in the industry continuing to decline from their post-COVID peak," the report read.
The widespread growth in advertised salaries comes as Australia's wages grew by 0.8% in the December quarter, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
"Employee living cost growth had slowed to 2.3% year-ended in the December quarter, meaning those able to take advantage of the rise in advertised salaries will have seen real wage growth," Chapman said.
"However, 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."
