Skills shortages expected to hit over 90% of Australian and New Zealand businesses
This comes as over 66% of employees said they would benefit financially from changing jobs


Over 90% of Australian and New Zealand businesses believe that skill shortages will impact operations or growth in the next year.
This is according to a new report from the recruitment firm Hays, which surveyed 4,425 organisations across Australia and New Zealand and spoke to 4,581 employees to take stock of salary expectations, career plans, and current priorities.
96% of Australian employers believe skill shortages will impact operations or growth while 90% of those in New Zealand believe the same. Additionally, 60% of Australian and 61% of New Zealand employers are set to increase their permanent headcount this year. Some employers also believe the great resignation will accelerate this year, with 39% in Australia and 47% in New Zealand stating this.
When it comes to salaries, 76% of Australian and 88% of New Zealand organisations have offered higher salaries than planned. This comes as 68% of Australian and 66% of New Zealand employees said they would benefit financially from changing jobs. The top factors driving turnover across these two countries are a lack of new challenges, an uncompetitive salary, and a lack of promotional opportunities.
“Australia and New Zealand are facing a singular skills shortage at a level unmatched in Hays’ 46 years in recruitment,” said Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays Australia and New Zealand.
RELATED RESOURCE
Work from anywhere: Empowering the future of work
Employees want to work from anywhere, IT needs to be able to support this shift
55% of employers also believe that opening the international border will somewhat ease the shortages but won’t solve the problem, and 24% believe it won’t solve the problem at all.
The top five IT jobs employers need to fill in Australia are business analysts, cloud engineers, full-stack developers, cyber security analysts, and data analysts. In New Zealand, these are project and programme managers, business analyst practitioners, senior software engineers, automation and QA engineers, and DevOps and cloud specialists.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
What are the average tech salaries in Australia and New Zealand?
Hays included in its report the typical salary for various tech positions across Australia and New Zealand, some of which are included in the table below.
JobLocationSalary Range (AUD)
Service desk - Level 1Sydney$55,000 to $80,000
Service desk - Level 1 |
Wellington$55,000 to $65,000
Cyber security analystSydney$110,000 to $165,000
Cyber security analyst |
Wellington$110,000 to $140,000
Chief information security officer (CISO)Sydney$225,000 to $360,000
Chief information security officer (CISO) |
Wellington$170,000 to $230,000
Data scientistSydney$130,000 to $260,000Data scientistWellington$110,000 to $150,000
Zach Marzouk is a former ITPro, CloudPro, and ChannelPro staff writer, covering topics like security, privacy, worker rights, and startups, primarily in the Asia Pacific and the US regions. Zach joined ITPro in 2017 where he was introduced to the world of B2B technology as a junior staff writer, before he returned to Argentina in 2018, working in communications and as a copywriter. In 2021, he made his way back to ITPro as a staff writer during the pandemic, before joining the world of freelance in 2022.
-
M&S suspends online sales as 'cyber incident' continues
News Marks & Spencer (M&S) has informed customers that all online and app sales have been suspended as the high street retailer battles a ‘cyber incident’.
By Ross Kelly
-
Manners cost nothing, unless you’re using ChatGPT
Opinion Polite users are costing OpenAI millions of dollars each year – but Ps and Qs are a small dent in what ChatGPT could cost the planet
By Ross Kelly
-
Women show more team spirit when it comes to cybersecurity, yet they're still missing out on opportunities
News While they're more likely to believe that responsibility should be shared, women are less likely to get the necessary training
By Emma Woollacott
-
‘AI is coming for your jobs. It’s coming for my job too’: Fiverr CEO urges staff to upskill or be left behind
News The latest in a string of AI skills warnings has urged staff to begin preparing for the worst
By Ross Kelly
-
IBM pledges support for UK government cyber skills program
News The CyberFirst Girls competition is aimed at increasing diversity in the cyber security workforce
By Emma Woollacott
-
AI skills training can't be left in the hands of big tech
News Speakers at Turing's AI UK conference lay out challenges to AI skills readiness
By Nicole Kobie
-
Tech talent shortages mean firms are scrapping traditional recruitment strategies
News With more than half of enterprise leaders worried about future skills shortages, many organizations are turning to a range of new techniques to expand potential talent pools.
By Emma Woollacott
-
The UK’s AI ambitions face one major hurdle – finding enough home-grown talent
News Research shows UK enterprises are struggling to fill AI roles, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet expectations in the global AI race.
By Emma Woollacott
-
Businesses know they have major skills deficits, but less than half plan on hiring more women
News Male IT leaders remain complacent about gender diversity despite widespread skills shortages
By Emma Woollacott
-
Put AI to work for talent management
Whitepaper Change the way we define jobs and the skills required to support business and employee needs
By ITPro