Jobs in Australia: Best prospects for a salary increase this year

Employees work in front of their computers at the Vente-Privee.com company's headquarters in Saint-Denis near Paris October 24, 2013. Reuters/Charles Platiau

Official figures show employers are taking cautious approach to pay rises this year as data indicates the average Aussie worker only gets 2 percent annual pay rise. It is also likely that only a few will get a meaningful increase.

However, recruiters Hays’s most recent survey indicates some are better prospects for a pay rise this year compared to others. Workers in the IT industry are in demand, and they can expect higher pay rises.

At least 48 percent of IT and telecoms employees are likely to be given a rise better than 3 percent. Twenty percent of employers from these industries intend to provide salary increases of six percent or more in their next review.

Hays recruiters revealed they have seen a huge increase in the recruitment of mobile and web technology skills. Salaries for software developers and engineers have reportedly increased.

Senior project managers take home $140,00 to $180,000 annually, while project directors are being paid as much as $220,000. Based on the Hays survey, technology skills are critical in the digital economy, and it is something that employers acknowledge by doing what they can to ensure applicable skills are maintained in the long run.

"More often, we are seeing cultural fit as a key attribute sought after by employers with a long-term vision,” says the annual survey. Across IT, hiring intention will remain high as organisations continue to keep an eye on the cutting edge. Applicants who exhibit agility and flexibility can be considered prized assets.

Media and advertising employers have also become more generous when it comes to pay rises. Sixteen percent of those are expected to increase salaries above 16 percent, up from 12 percent. Over 2,950 organisations that represent more than 3 million employees have participated in the Hays survey, Business Insider Australia notes.

Meanwhile, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals youth unemployment in Australia sits at 13.27 percent. The figure is even more troublesome in the regions as youth unemployment hits as high as 41.1 percent in “Queensland Outback.”

The economic and social consequences of locking out millennial workers are serious and are expected to pose profound impact on the country’s future economy. “We need to understand the global trends affecting our young people in Australia because they will affect the next generation entering the workforce and the generations to follow,” FYA CEO Jan Owen said, according to The Courier Mail.

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