Data & Insights

2026 Salary Survey results

Name: The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey
Creator: The Aussie Corporate

Base pay, hours, bonuses and whether pay feels fair, from our anonymous survey of corporate Australia. Ten findings, then a closer look industry by industry.

All survey results By industry

The Aussie Corporate kangaroo in a lab coat and round glasses, on a gold circle sticker

What did the 2026 Salary Survey find?

The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey asked corporate Australia about base pay, hours, bonuses and whether their pay feels fair. Here are the ten things it found, slide by slide.

Cover of The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey: 10 things nobody tells you about your pay

Insight one: median base pay doubles in the first 10 years, from $78K at 0 to 1 years to $165K at 10 to 15 years and $185K after 15 years, with 80% of pay growth done by Year 15

Insight two: the more days people work from home, the longer they stay at the same level. 40% of fully remote workers have not moved up in three years or more, against 22% of those in the office five days a week

Insight three: a 60-hour week pays 20% less per hour than a 40-hour week. Median base pay by weekly hours peaks at $200K for 55 to 60 hours, and 89% of people working 60+ hours rate their stress 4 or 5 out of 5

Insight four: Sydney pays more than Melbourne 4 times out of 5 for the same job. Median pay under 5 years is $100K in Sydney, $92K in Melbourne and $88K in Brisbane, and after 15 years $200K, $185K and $184K

Insight five: earning $180K+ means the job comes home with you. Above $250K, 68% rate their stress 4 or 5 out of 5 and 49% cannot switch off

Insight six: after 10 years men stop feeling underpaid and women do not. At Year 20, 39% of women say their pay is unfair against 25% of men

Insight seven: support roles keep pace with front office pay for 10 years, then fall about 10% behind. After 20 years the median is $205K in front office and $185K in support roles

Insight eight: 1 in 3 people receive no bonus at all. Share with no annual bonus: Government 88%, Health and not-for-profit 66%, Professional Services 55%, Legal 34%, Tech 30%, Corporate 25%, Banking and Finance 11%. At the Big 4 it is 63%

Insight nine: 7 in 10 people do not achieve their target bonus. Of people with a target bonus, 7% were paid nothing, 21% under half, 41% half to under target, 6% on target and 25% above target

Insight ten: if you feel underpaid, you probably are. 51% of Big 4 employees say their pay is unfair, against a median of 32%. Retail and FMCG 36%, Big 5 banks 31%, ASX 200 29%, Big Tech 24%

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What we found

Median pay doubles in your first 10 years, and 80% of career pay growth is done by Year 15.
A 60-hour week pays 20% less per hour than a 40-hour week.
Sydney pays more than Melbourne 4 times out of 5 for the same job.
1 in 3 people receive no bonus at all, and 7 in 10 do not achieve their target bonus.
51% of Big 4 employees say their pay is unfair, against a median of 32%.
40% of fully remote workers have not moved up in three years or more, against 22% of those in the office five days a week.

Median base pay by city and years of experience

Experience	Sydney	Melbourne	Brisbane
Under 5 years	$100K	$92K	$88K
5 to 10 years	$147K	$140K	$140K
10 to 15 years	$180K	$166K	$161K
15 plus years	$200K	$185K	$184K

Read the slides as text

Cover. 10 things nobody tells you about your pay, from The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey.

Insight one. Median base pay doubles in the first 10 years, from $78K at 0 to 1 years to $165K at 10 to 15 years and $185K after 15 years. 80% of pay growth is done by Year 15.

Insight two. The more days people work from home, the longer they stay at the same level. 40% of fully remote workers have not moved up in three years or more, against 22% of those in the office five days a week.

Insight three. A 60-hour week pays 20% less per hour than a 40-hour week. 89% of people working 60+ hours rate their stress 4 or 5 out of 5.

Insight four. Sydney pays more than Melbourne 4 times out of 5 for the same job. Median pay under 5 years is $100K in Sydney, $92K in Melbourne and $88K in Brisbane.

Insight five. Earning $180K+ means the job comes home with you. Above $250K, 68% rate their stress 4 or 5 out of 5 and 49% cannot switch off.

Insight six. After 10 years men stop feeling underpaid and women do not. At Year 20, 39% of women say their pay is unfair against 25% of men.

Insight seven. Support roles keep pace with front office pay for 10 years, then fall about 10% behind. After 20 years the median is $205K in front office and $185K in support roles.

Insight eight. 1 in 3 people receive no bonus at all. Share with no annual bonus: Government 88%, Health and not-for-profit 66%, Professional Services 55%, Legal 34%, Tech 30%, Corporate 25%, Banking and Finance 11%. At the Big 4 it is 63%.

Insight nine. 7 in 10 people do not achieve their target bonus. 7% were paid nothing, 21% under half, 41% half to under target, 6% on target and 25% above target.

Insight ten. If you feel underpaid, you probably are. 51% of Big 4 employees say their pay is unfair, against a median of 32%. Retail and FMCG 36%, Big 5 banks 31%, ASX 200 29%, Big Tech 24%.

Source: The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey, data as at September 2026

Read the full write-up

What is your industry not telling you about your pay?

Part 2 of the 2026 Salary Survey compares industries: hours, stress, working from home, shares, bonuses and what each hour is worth.

Cover of The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey Part 2: What your industry isn't telling you about your pay.

It costs you more to work longer hours. Median base pay against the share who work 45+ hours a week: Investment Banking $175K and 66%, Law $147K and 47%, Finance $150K and 23%, Tech $150K and 20%, Corporate $145K and 18%, Professional Services $121K and 21%, Health and NFP $130K and 14%, Government $136K and 6%. Professional Services pays about 10% less per hour than people with the same years elsewhere.

In corporate, industry decides your fate. Construction: 33% work 45+ hours, 64% rate stress 4+ out of 5, 39% cannot switch off, 70% in the office 4 to 5 days. Property 24%, 41%, 29%, 64%. Survey average 23%, 49%, 31%, 26%. Only 8% of Telcos work 45+ hours and 60% can switch off after work.

Nearly half of Big 5 bank staff hold shares in their bank. The big banks pay about 14% more than other finance employers in the first 5 years, 8% more at 5 to 10 years and 2% more after 10 years.

Per hour, in-house law beats top-tier law firms. In-house against top-tier: work 50+ hours 15% and 28%, work 45+ hours 41% and 53%, can switch off after work 50% and 25%, work from home 3+ days 29% and 13%. Only 17% of lawyers are home 3+ days, against 35% of everyone else.

At the Big 4, every promotion is worth about a third more pay. Median base: Graduate $66K, Consultant $70K, Senior Consultant $88K, Manager $120K, Senior Manager $155K, Director $209K. Only 5% of Big 4 staff are in the office every day, against 13% of everyone else.

Tech pays the same as banking, with more WFH. Share who hold shares and median base: Big Tech 72% and $177K, Large Aussie Tech 44% and $170K, ASX 200 34% and $145K, Startup 32% and $120K. 16% of Tech workers are fully remote, almost 3 times the survey average.

Insurance has the most days at home in finance. Share working from home 3+ days: Insurance 56%, Super and Asset Management 45%, other banks 41%, Big 5 banks 31%, Investment Banking 0%, survey average 35%. Only 3% of Insurance staff are in the office every day.

Government has the best hours and the worst bonuses. Government against everyone else: work 40 hours or less 79% and 49%, WFH 3+ days 44% and 34%, can switch off at night 58% and 43%, earn under $200K 94% and 84%, no annual bonus 88% and 32%.

Not-For-Profit staff take a pay cut to do the work. Median base: first 5 years $92K against $100K, 5 to 10 years $130K against $140K, 10+ years $148K against $175K. 9 in 10 Not-For-Profit staff in the survey are women.

Hour for hour, Resources out-pays Investment Banking. Office roles in Resources earn about 10% more than the same roles elsewhere, and engineers about 30% more. 87% get an annual bonus, 80% work 45 hours or less, 58% rate their pay as fair, 40% hold shares.

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What we found

Investment Banking pays a median $175K, and 66% work 45+ hours a week.
Professional Services pays about 10% less per hour than people with the same years elsewhere.
At the Big 4, each promotion is worth about a third more pay, from $66K as a graduate to $209K as a director.
The Big 5 banks pay about 14% more than other finance employers in your first 5 years, and 2% more after 10.
88% of government staff get no annual bonus, against 32% of everyone else.
Not-For-Profit pay sits about 15% below the rest of the survey at the same years of experience.
Office roles in Resources earn about 10% more than the same roles elsewhere, and engineers about 30% more.

Median base pay and the share who work 45+ hours a week, by industry

Industry	Median base	Work 45+ hours
Investment Banking	$175K	66%
Finance	$150K	23%
Tech	$150K	20%
Law	$147K	47%
Corporate	$145K	18%
Government	$136K	6%
Health and Not-For-Profit	$130K	14%
Professional Services	$121K	21%

Read the slides as text

Hours. It costs you more to work longer hours. Professional Services hours are average, yet it pays about 10% less per hour than people with the same years elsewhere.

Corporate. In corporate, industry decides your fate. A third of property and construction staff are in the office every day and 64% of construction staff rate their stress 4+ out of 5. Only 8% of Telcos work 45+ hours and 60% can switch off after work.

Banking and finance. Nearly half of Big 5 bank staff hold shares in their bank. The big banks pay about 14% more than other finance employers in the first 5 years, 8% more at 5 to 10 years and 2% more after 10.

Legal. Per hour, in-house law beats top-tier law firms. 15% of in-house lawyers work 50+ hours a week against 28% at top-tier firms, and 50% can switch off after work against 25%. Only 17% of lawyers are home 3+ days, against 35% of everyone else.

Big 4 and consulting. Every promotion is worth about a third more pay. Median base: Graduate $66K, Consultant $70K, Senior Consultant $88K, Manager $120K, Senior Manager $155K, Director $209K. Most reach manager 5 to 7 years in. Only 5% are in the office every day, against 13% of everyone else.

Tech. Tech pays the same as banking, with more WFH. More than half of Tech workers are home 3 or more days a week and 16% are fully remote. 72% at Big Tech hold shares, on a median base of $177K. Big Tech recorded the highest stress, with 67% rating theirs 4+ out of 5.

Insurance and super. Insurance has the most days at home in finance: 56% work from home 3+ days, against 31% at the Big 5 banks and 0% in Investment Banking. Only 3% are in the office every day.

Government. Government has the best hours and the worst bonuses. 79% work 40 hours or less and 58% can switch off at night. 88% get no annual bonus and 94% earn under $200K. Pay falls behind from Year 10.

Health and Not-For-Profit. At the same years of experience, Not-For-Profit pay sits about 15% below the rest of the survey, from an $8K gap in the first 5 years to $27K after 10. 9 in 10 Not-For-Profit staff in the survey are women.

Resources. Hour for hour, Resources out-pays Investment Banking. 87% get an annual bonus and 80% work 45 hours or less. Half are in the office 4 or 5 days a week, against 1 in 4 across the survey. Resources pays more in Perth and Brisbane than in Sydney.

Source: The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey Part 2, data as at September 2026