SEEK Advertised Salary Index - April
The SEEK Advertised Salary Index (ASI) measures the growth in advertised salaries for jobs posted on SEEK in Australia. This quarterly SEEK ASI report contains industry and state trends. There will be briefer monthly reports in June and July.
NATIONAL ADVERTISED SALARY TRENDS
Advertised salaries grew by 0.4% m/m. Monthly advertised salary growth has been at or above 0.3% since August 2025.
Annual advertised salary growth has been trending up since July last year, reaching 4.1% y/y.
STATE ADVERTISED SALARY TRENDS
The Australian Capital Territory recorded the fastest annual advertised salary growth over the year to April at 5.8% y/y, with relatively strong growth over the past three months (1.5%).
Victoria continues to have the slowest annual growth in advertised salaries at 3.7% y/y, despite some faster growth in recent months.
INDUSTRY ADVERTISED SALARY TRENDS
Education & Training continued to have the fastest annual advertised salary growth at 6.0% y/y, although the slower growth over the three months to April is reflected in the annual rate of growth, which is slightly lower than previously.
Science & Technology had the fastest advertised salary growth over the three months to April (2.6% q/q). Despite this faster growth, annual advertised salaries in the industry are still growing relatively slowly.
SEEK Chief Economist, Dr Blair Chapman says:
“Advertised salary growth remained solid in April, with salaries rising 0.4% over the month and 4.1% over the year. With monthly growth holding at or above 0.3% since August last year, annual salary growth has continued to trend higher, despite a more uncertain economic backdrop shaped by higher inflation and interest rates putting pressure on businesses.
“Annual advertised salary growth continues to vary across the country, with the ACT recording the fastest growth at 5.8%, while Victoria remained the slowest at 3.7%. At an industry level, Education & Training led annual growth at 6.0%, while Science & Technology saw the strongest growth over the three months to April.
“While stronger advertised salaries may offer some relief for workers able to switch roles, the pace of growth remains uneven across states and industries, reflecting mixed conditions across the labour market.”
NATIONAL ADVERTISED SALARY TRENDS
Advertised salaries rose by 0.4% m/m and 1.1% q/q, with monthly growth between 0.3% and 0.4% m/m since August 2025.
Figure 1: Month-on-month growth of SEEK Advertised Salary Index
Note: seasonally adjusted. Source: SEEK.
Consistent monthly growth above 0.3% has seen annual growth rise to 4.1% y/y, continuing the upwards trajectory it has been on since July last year.
Figure 2: Year-on-year growth of SEEK Advertised Salary Index
Note: seasonally adjusted. Source: SEEK.
STATE ADVERTISED SALARY TRENDS
The ACT recorded the fastest annual advertised salary growth in the country over the year to April 2026, at 5.8%, while growth over the three months to April was also relatively strong at 1.5%.
This strength likely reflects, at least in part, changes to Australian Public Service (APS) pay-setting arrangements. Following the move to APS-wide bargaining, base salary rates for much of the APS are now adjusted each March, with salary review timing aligned from March 2024. Previously, pay adjustments were more staggered across the public sector. This means advertised salaries in the ACT may now experience a more pronounced seasonal increase around March each year. Even so, annual growth of 5.8% is still well above the 3.4% APS base salary increase for 2026, indicating that factors beyond public sector wage adjustments may also be at play.
In contrast, New South Wales recorded the slowest growth over the three months to April, at 0.9%. This moderation contributed to annual growth slowing to 4.0%, from 4.2% in January. The state’s unemployment rate has risen slightly since its low point in November. This suggests the job market may be cooling a little, which could mean employers feel less need to offer higher advertised salaries to attract workers.
Victoria continued to record the slowest annual growth overall, at 3.7%. The unemployment rate has also continued to trend higher, pointing to spare capacity in the labour market that may be constraining salary growth. However, quarterly momentum improved, with advertised salaries rising 1.2% over the three months to April — Victoria’s strongest three-month increase since 2023.
Table 1: SEEK Advertised Salary Index growth by state/territory
Note: seasonally adjusted. Source: SEEK.
Figure 3: Year-on-year growth of SEEK Advertised Salary Index by state/territory
Note: seasonally adjusted. Source: SEEK.
INDUSTRY ADVERTISED SALARY TRENDS
Roles within Education & Training recorded the strongest annual advertised salary growth across industries over the year to April 2026, at 6.0%. This was despite a softer three-month increase of 1.0%, which suggests momentum has moderated somewhat in recent months. Even so, continued employment growth in the industry since 2022 points to sustained labour demand, which is likely contributing to stronger salary outcomes.
Sport & Recreation also remained one of the strongest-performing industries, with advertised salaries up 5.1% over the year to April and 1.8% over the past three months. The annual result was likely boosted in part by base effects, as there was a notable decline in advertised salaries in April 2025.
Science & Technology saw one of the sharpest recent increases in advertised salaries, with growth of 2.6% over the three months to April, equal to Design & Architecture as the fastest among industries. This recent strength pushed annual salary growth up to 2.8%. While this marks an improvement, annual growth in the industry remains below that seen across most other sectors.
Government recorded the weakest annual advertised salary growth of any industry over the year to April 2026, at 1.7%, with growth also subdued over the past three months at 0.8%. Advertised salaries in the sector will be influenced by a mix of local government awards and state and federal government pay agreements. Because state governments employ the largest share of workers in the sector, state pay outcomes are likely to have the greatest influence on overall salary trends. These more structured pay-setting arrangements, and the time it takes to negotiate new agreements, may be contributing to weaker salary growth than in other industries.
Table 2: SEEK Advertised Salary Index growth by industry
ENDS
The data contained in this report can be downloaded here.
When reporting SEEK data, we request that you attribute SEEK as the source and refer to SEEK as an employment marketplace.
Commentary relating to the SEEK ASI can be attributed to Dr Blair Chapman, SEEK Chief Economist.
About the SEEK ASI
The SEEK ASI measures the change in advertised salaries over time for jobs posted on SEEK in Australia, removing much of the effect of compositional change.
The SEEK ASI is a complement to existing data about the growth in wages and salaries in Australia, including the ABS’ WPI. The WPI is a measure of the pace of wages growth across the economy.
The SEEK ASI provides a timely and frequent read on the pulse of advertised salary growth in Australia for vacant roles.
Disclaimer
The Data should be viewed and regarded as standalone information and should not be aggregated with any other information whether such information has been previously provided by SEEK Limited, ("SEEK"). The Data is given in summary form and whilst care has been taken in its preparation, SEEK makes no representations whatsoever about its completeness or accuracy. SEEK expressly bears no responsibility or liability for any reliance placed by you on the Data, or from the use of the Data by you