What’s the latest in Australia’s project services hiring market? From investment in digital transformation projects through to the demand for top talent, we look into the latest trends when it comes to project hiring across the country – particularly, the top project areas companies are investing in.

The project services hiring landscape in Australia

The project services hiring market is complex and varied across Australia. In some regions,
the market has remained steady, while in others, demand has slowed as confidence in the economy declines. However, with project manager positions expected to grow by 6.1% within the next 5 years, the demand for skilled candidates is expected to return in these regions.

While some regions across Australia, such as WA, SA & QLD, have seen steady project activity, others, like NSW, VIC & ACT have seen a slowdown. Despite this, there are several project areas where companies are investing, particularly when it comes to tech.

Top project investments

1. Cybersecurity

When it comes to the projects companies across Australia are investing in, cybersecurity tops the list. Talent Melbourne Managing Director, Simon Yeung notes that, “Industry adoption of AI, machine learning and automation will continue to expand, but will only represent a small proportion of most companies’ IT budgets as they prioritise more urgent infrastructure, transformation and cybersecurity projects.”

Talent Canberra Account Manager, Connie Tong, also observes that this is the focus for Government employers, “Cybersecurity and AI are major tech projects for Government, and all these projects will have recruitment activities for both IT skills and non-IT skills”.

2. Data

Across Australia, companies are increasingly seeking to leverage data to drive efficiencies and make data-informed decisions. So much so that when it comes to the importance of emerging tech, 91% of respondents in a survey of Australian and New Zealand consultancies, have cited data analytics as important for their companies. Additionally, in another survey of over 600 data leaders, 100% cited that they have planned to invest in their data management capabilities over 2024.

So, what does this look like in practice? Companies in different industries across the country are focusing their efforts on data migration and uplift projects. Talent Sydney Principal Account Manager, Majella Sanders, notes that, “Many universities are assessing their enterprise systems including their ERP and cloud platforms, student systems, data analysis and management. As such, there is significant demand for business analysts and data specialists.” Talent Melbourne Practice Lead, Kylie McManus, also notes that, “In financial services, NAB has completed a Teradata migration for data analytics, and is now optimising with Databricks, HVR/Fivetran, PowerBI, AWS, and Azure.”

3. Defence

Digital projects are also being locked down in the Defence sector in South Australia, where there has been significant investment in naval shipbuilding projects alongside cyber solutions to bolster the country’s defences. Projects such as the construction of nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy, as well as major tier 1 surface combatant ships, will generate strong demand for talent over the coming years. Talent Adelaide Managing Director, Anthony Whyte, comments, “In Adelaide, defence-cleared personnel continue to be in high demand and will do so for the next decade.”

In Melbourne, defence projects are also taking off, alongside other digital transformation programs of work. Talent Melbourne Practice Lead, Kylie McManus notes, “Large government modernisation programs across Defence, the NDIS crackdown on fraud, and Salesforce programs are absorbing resources. At a local government level, implementation of TechnologyOne and Smart Cities continue to hire.

4. Renewables & green energy

Digital transformation is also taking hold across the energy, mining and resources sector throughout Australia.

In Western Australia, Talent Perth Senior Consultant, Kristen Stewart observes that investment in projects in this sector is on the rise, “Companies are investing in their capabilities and project execution. They’re modernising their IT capability, and redesigning and refreshing legacy systems to make them more fit for purpose.” Alongside the growing integration of technology in this industry is the increased risk of cyber threats. Talent Brisbane Account Director, Jane Knapp comments, “As more clean energy enters the market, there are more entry points from distributed energy resources to the grid, which is creating greater security considerations. Operation Technology (OT) Cybersecurity is therefore a key project being invested in.”

Talent Melbourne Practice Lead, Kylie McManus, notes that, “The utilities, energy, resources sector’s focus is on renewables and green energy, as well as upgrading ageing data and comms networks and datacentres. CEOs and Boards are prioritising organisational cyber-resilience, elevating CIO and CISO roles.”

Uncover more about the project hiring market in our Project Services Hiring Market Snapshot here.

5. Healthtech

Across Australia, the digital health market is booming, with revenue expected to reach USD$2.86 billion by 2028. Looking at healthcare in NSW specifically, digital transformation projects are taking centre stage. The NSW Government is working on a single digital patient record (SDPR) system, to streamline the recording of patient records. Talent Head of Government, Steve Tompkins notes that this project is seeing strong demand for project professionals, generating “300 permanent and fixed term vacancies, including project practitioner job openings”.

As tech continues to evolve, and companies increasingly prioritise digital transformation projects, the demand for top talent will only increase. It’s predicted that by 2025, the global digital transformation market will grow to USD$1009.8 billion, up from USD$469.8 billion in 2020 – seeing a CAGR of 16.5% over this time period. The growth in this market will call for skilled tech and project professionals who can lead the way to success.

So, are you ready to answer the call? Check out our job search for your next project opportunity.

Need top project professionals who can take your project to the finish line? We can help.

At Talent, we’ve been working with top talent since the birth of JavaScript, and place over 1000 project managers into new roles every year. We’re also a Platinum partner to the Project Management Institute and know what it takes to successfully deliver a project. Get in touch to uncover how we can help you find top-tier talent.