Software and Testing | Tech & Data People

About the publication

About This Guide

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the current Software Development and Testing & Quality Engineering landscape in Australia, with detailed insights into remuneration and recruitment trends.

Drawing on the expertise of our specialist recruiters and advanced data tools, we've compiled key information on salary benchmarks, contract rates, market demand and gender distribution. These insights are designed to help employers make informed hiring decisions and support technology professionals in understanding their market value.

All figures represent benchmark base salaries, excluding superannuation, and candidate day rates. Salary data has been sourced through a combination of specialist knowledge, historical placement records, industry participation and online data collection, and reflects averages across a range of business sizes and industries.

Gender representation data has been sourced from LinkedIn Talent Insights.

Permanent & contract benchmarks

Software & Testing Salary Guide

Explore benchmark permanent salaries and contract day rates across key Software Development and Testing roles.

Software and Testing permanent salary, contract day rate and gender representation benchmarks
Role title	Permanent salary	Contract day rate	Male	Female
Mobile Developer	$70k–$160k	$700–$950	78%	22%
Software Engineer – Junior	$60k–$90k	$550–$650	78% Shared Junior–Senior benchmark	22% Shared Junior–Senior benchmark
Software Engineer – Mid	$90k–$135k	$750–$900
Software Engineer – Senior	$140k–$180k	$900–$1,050
Staff Engineer	$160k–$195k	$1,050–$1,200	89%	11%
Technical Lead	$160k–$200k	$1,100–$1,200	87%	13%
Engineering Manager	$180k–$220k	$1,200–$1,400	86%	14%
Head of Engineering	$210k–$280k	$1,500+	88%	12%
Manual Test Analyst	$60k–$110k	$500–$700	43%	57%
Automation Tester (Analyst – Engineer)	$90k–$150k	$700–$950	55%	45%
Automation Manager	$140k–$190k	$800–$1,075	13%	87%
Test/QA Manager	$150k–$185k	$900–$1,125	40%	60%

Mobile Developer

Permanent $70k–$160k

Contract $700–$950

Male 78% Female 22%

Software Engineer representation Shared across Junior–Senior: Male 78% · Female 22%

Software Engineer – Junior

Permanent $60k–$90k

Contract $550–$650

Software Engineer – Mid

Permanent $90k–$135k

Contract $750–$900

Software Engineer – Senior

Permanent $140k–$180k

Contract $900–$1,050

Staff Engineer

Permanent $160k–$195k

Contract $1,050–$1,200

Male 89% Female 11%

Technical Lead

Permanent $160k–$200k

Contract $1,100–$1,200

Male 87% Female 13%

Engineering Manager

Permanent $180k–$220k

Contract $1,200–$1,400

Male 86% Female 14%

Head of Engineering

Permanent $210k–$280k

Contract $1,500+

Male 88% Female 12%

Manual Test Analyst

Permanent $60k–$110k

Contract $500–$700

Male 43% Female 57%

Automation Tester (Analyst – Engineer)

Permanent $90k–$150k

Contract $700–$950

Male 55% Female 45%

Automation Manager

Permanent $140k–$190k

Contract $800–$1,075

Male 13% Female 87%

Test/QA Manager

Permanent $150k–$185k

Contract $900–$1,125

Male 40% Female 60%

All permanent salary figures represent benchmark base salaries excluding superannuation. Contract figures represent candidate day rates. Figures are indicative benchmarks and may vary depending on experience, organisation, responsibilities and market conditions.

Recruitment conditions

Market Overview

Australia's software and testing markets are becoming more measured, more technically sophisticated and more closely connected to business outcomes.

Software Development

Australia's software engineering market is recovering from the caution that followed the post-pandemic hiring boom, but employers are not returning to indiscriminate team expansion. Hiring remains strongest for developers who can build and modernise cloud-native applications, integrate AI capabilities and support product-led delivery. Financial services, fintech, SaaS, government and cybersecurity continue to create opportunities, although longer approval processes and closer scrutiny of technology budgets are extending recruitment cycles in some organisations.

Employers are placing greater value on engineers who combine strong technical fundamentals with cloud expertise, automation and the ability to work across the development lifecycle. Full-stack and backend development, modern JavaScript frameworks, .NET, Java, Python and cloud platforms remain important, while AI-assisted development tools are changing how teams approach coding, testing and delivery. The strongest candidates are those who can apply these technologies to solve business problems, improve delivery efficiency and maintain quality at scale.

Testing & Quality Engineering

Australia's automation testing market continues to shift towards a more technically sophisticated Quality Engineering model. Employers increasingly need Automation Engineers, Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) and Quality Engineers who can build and maintain automation frameworks, integrate testing into CI/CD pipelines and contribute to quality throughout the software delivery lifecycle. Demand is supported by digital modernisation, cloud adoption and the need to release software faster without compromising reliability.

Coding proficiency, API automation, performance testing and experience with tools such as Playwright, Cypress and Azure DevOps are valuable differentiators. AI-assisted testing is also gaining attention as organisations explore ways to improve test coverage and reduce repetitive work. While manual testing remains relevant, candidates who combine testing expertise with software engineering skills, automation and an understanding of modern delivery practices are better positioned in an increasingly competitive market.

Capabilities shaping recruitment

Where Demand Is Growing

Explore the technologies, capabilities and specialisations shaping recruitment demand across Software Development and Testing & Quality Engineering.

Software Development

AI Engineering & AI Integration
Full-Stack Development
Backend Engineering
Cloud-Native Application Development
Platform Engineering
DevOps & Developer Experience
Application Modernisation

Testing & Quality Engineering

Test Automation Engineering
Software Development Engineering in Test (SDET)
Quality Engineering
API & Integration Testing
Performance & Reliability Testing
CI/CD Test Integration
AI-Assisted Testing

Three signals to watch

Australian Market Insights

Employment scale, software investment and AI adoption are all shaping the capability organisations need from technology teams.

203,200

Software and Applications Programmers employed in Australia

Jobs and Skills Australia's occupation profile reports 203,200 people employed across this broader occupational group, with annual employment growth of 13,700.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia — Software and Applications Programmers

A$68.3bn

Forecast Australian software spending in 2027

Gartner forecasts Australian software spending will reach A$68.3 billion in 2027, growing 13.3% year on year.

This reflects continued investment in enterprise software, AI-enabled applications and business technology platforms.

Source: Gartner — Australian IT spending forecast

43%

Australian SMEs using AI

The National AI Centre reported that 43% of Australian small and medium-sized businesses surveyed had adopted AI during December 2025 to February 2026.

This growing adoption creates increased requirements around AI integration, testing, security and software maintenance.

Source: National AI Centre — AI adoption insights

Gender representation

Diversity Snapshot

A role-by-role view of representation across the Software Development and Testing talent pools analysed by Tech & Data People.

36.3% Female representation overall

Across the Software Development & Testing roles analysed by Tech & Data People, women represent approximately 36% of the talent pool. However, the data reveals a notable divide between software engineering and testing, with female representation varying considerably across technical and leadership roles.

Overall gender representation 100% of analysed talent pool

Male 63.7% Female 36.3%

Software Engineering

Mobile Developers · 22% women Staff Engineers · 11% women

Women remain underrepresented across software engineering roles, with representation falling further at Staff Engineer level.

Engineering Leadership

Technical Leads · 13% Engineering Managers · 14% Heads of Engineering · 12%

The data highlights a significant gender gap across senior engineering and technical leadership positions.

Testing

Manual Test Analysts · 57% Automation Testers · 45%

Female representation is stronger within Testing than Software Engineering, with Manual Testing showing a female majority.

Quality Leadership

Test/QA Managers · 60% Automation Managers · 87%

Quality leadership presents a notable contrast with the representation recorded across Software Engineering leadership.

Across the Software Development and Testing roles analysed, women have stronger representation in testing and quality management, while remaining underrepresented in senior software engineering and technical leadership positions.

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