A new salary benchmark report has been published, which finds effective leadership is crucial to securing and retaining Australia’s best talent in 2020.

The report includes statistics for the construction and architecture industry, finding the roles in greatest demand are (in descending order):

• project manager
• project engineer
• estimator
• business development manager
• site manager, and
• contracts administrator.

The top three hiring trends in the industry are:

• hiring people who have relevant skills in new technologies
• talent that understands new energy efficiency regulations and has extensive knowledge about them, and
• companies now placing more emphasis on creating safer, healthier and more positive work environments.

The two biggest trending skills are:

• experience with fitouts for health, aged care and retirement living, and
• experience with hotel/leisure developments.

The report also lists minimum, median and maximum salary ranges for roles in architecture and design, project management and construction industries, with median salaries for architects ranging from $85,000 per annum for an architectural technician to $140,000 for a project architect.

General report findings

The critical importance of leadership in winning and retaining top talent will be more apparent in 2020. In Australia’s mature employment landscape where leading professionals typically enjoy the benefit of two to three job offers, effective leadership in talent management is more difficult yet more crucial than ever.

Details from the Michael Page Australia Salary Benchmark 2020 published by professional recruitment services firm – Michael Page – highlights that employee engagement spikes for leaders who are authentic, hold others accountable, lead with integrity and show empathy.

The crucial part to hiring and retaining is committing to their learning and development path. Matthew Gribble, regional managing director of Michael Page Australia, advises, “Just as in a sports team, employees in Australia want evidence that your company culture supports excellence in the way it plays fair and reinforces shared values.”

Other findings from the Michael Page Australia Salary Benchmark 2020 reveal that 15 percent of respondents are inclined to work overseas in 2020, an indication that professionals are confident of the current economy. This rates the lowest among Australia’s other Asia Pacific counterparts (ie. 40 percent in New Zealand and 50 percent in Singapore), which are currently wary of a brain drain.

In addition, 60 percent of Australians showed positivity towards the job market situation. A further 68 percent believe they would take less than three months to secure a new job.

“Top talent profiles will often request a development map starting right at the interview process. Companies that acknowledge how important learning and upskilling is to Australian professionals often secure themselves great hires and future business leaders,” says  Gribble.

Research from the report also indicates that 51 percent of those surveyed cite having a clear direction and vision as the most important expectation of a leadership team. In addition 83 percent of professionals in Australia reportedly work in a harmonious workplace with the following top traits – collaborative, problem solving and accountability.

The Michael Page Australia Salary Benchmark 2020 also brings attention to the key trends that are impacting all of Australia’s 12.9 million employees. As highlighted by the Federal Government, megatrends such as the growth in computing power, connectivity, data volumes, and artificial intelligence (AI) will combine with the changing employment market and organisational structures. Therefore Australia can anticipate greater entrepreneurship levels, divergent demographics and continuing growth of the service sector.

Note: The Michael Page Australia Salary Benchmark 2020 is derived from 45,000 data points in the company’s proprietary data and network in Australia, which includes job advertisements and placements from July 2018 to June 2019. 

Image: Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash