How Much IT Contractors Get Paid Across Australia

Contracting as an IT pro can still be lucrative, but it does depend on where you live. New data suggests that you’re going to earn a lot less in Victoria than South Australia — but you’ll still typically get twice the hourly rate of a permanent employ. Plus: which roles are the most likely to be hired?

Worker picture from Shutterstock

This data, compiled by the Information Technology Contract & Recruitment Association (ITCRA), covers the last calendar quarter of 2014. In the table below, we’ve shown the typical rates for permanent and contractor roles across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT, as well as how long it typically takes recruiters to fill those roles. (As with other IT employment statistics, Tasmania and the Northern Territory get left out because the base of employees is too small.)

State Permanent

hourly rate Contractor

hourly rate Permanent

days to fill Contractor

days to fill ACT $67.85 $103.71 45 83 New South Wales $64.32 $124.15 28 39 Queensland $57.17 $82.11 25 37 South Australia $51.58 $66.10 20 68 Victoria $73.29 $162.89 33 44 Western Australia $64.95 $121.24 20 34

What those averages conceal is the demand for particular roles. TheITCRA report also lists the roles that recruiters find most in demand at the moment:

Permanent Contract Analyst programmer Project manager Business analyst Business analyst Project manager Consultant Help desk Analyst programmer Network designer Help desk Consultant Desktop/PC support Desktop support Tester IT manager Network engineer Systems engineer Project coordinator

Of course, the higher rates for contractors are designed to cover for lack of holiday leave and other full-time benefits. Not everyone finds contracting suitable, but if you’re working in one of the high-demand areas, it could be worth considering.

ITCRA [via Business Insider]