Pay survey identifies high satisfaction among accountants
A new survey has found that accounting professionals are among the most satisfied and well-compensated employees in Australia.
Hays’ 2025–26 financial year Salary Guide found that 60 per cent of accounting and finance professionals were satisfied with their pay, well above the national average.
It also identified stark polarisation between industries in terms of pay and conditions, with accountants generally enjoying the better end of the deal when compared to other sectors.
“Australia’s salary landscape is becoming more polarised than ever. While certain professionals are enjoying significant pay rises and strong job prospects, others face stagnant wages, rising dissatisfaction, and tougher job markets, a reality that exposes deep fractures in the nation’s workforce,” Hays said in a release.
The survey found that accounting professionals were jumping between companies with ease, being one of the only groups to report that it was taking them fewer applications to land a role.
This could reflect the ongoing accountant shortage, which has underpinned high demand for accounting talent. The survey found that out of the 33 per cent of accounting and finance professionals who changed jobs in the past year, accountants and auditors were among those most likely to have done so.
The most in-demand accounting and finance jobs included payroll officers, finance managers, business services accountants, finance business partners and financial accountants.
While accountants enjoyed strong pay conditions, other industries weren’t so lucky, the survey found.
Across all industries, six in 10 workers believed they were being underpaid, and 84 per cent of businesses had experienced a skills shortage in the past year.
Hays noted that industries experiencing stagnating pay growth were at greater risk of skills shortages. The survey unearthed a growing sense of discontent in a number of sectors, including architecture, trades and sales.
“The data reveals clear divides in which industries are paying more and planning to continue doing so,” Matthew Dickason, chief executive APAC at Hays, said.
“It’s no longer enough to cite skills shortages. Unless those shortages are matched with real salary action that aligns with expectations and industry benchmarks, talent will move where the money and opportunity are.”
Hays also identified a sense of discontent among early-career professionals, with 49 per cent of 25-29-year-olds feeling significantly underpaid. Employees earning under $100,000 were most likely to feel undervalued, with 12 per cent saying they were ‘grossly underpaid’ for the work they did.
“A point of concern is that younger and lower-income professionals are signalling dissatisfaction,” Dickason said.
“If not addressed, this risks future workforce attrition and weak succession pipelines. This is especially problematic when we consider the value that younger or early-career professionals bring in terms of new and emerging skills.”
