Adecco Salary Guide 2025: What the Adecco Salary Guide Tells Us About Australian Pay

Introduction

The Adecco Salary Guide is one of the most referenced resources for understanding pay trends in Australia. Published annually by Adecco Australia, it compiles salary ranges from a survey of nearly 9,000 professionals across the Asia-Pacific region. For anyone researching the keyword adecco salary, this guide offers a snapshot of what employers are paying for roles in accounting, engineering, IT, logistics, marketing, and more.

But how do those figures relate to the national salary index? And what do they mean after tax and super? This article explains the Adecco Salary Guide through the lens of gross pay, superannuation, and tax, using the Salary Index as a benchmark.

What the Adecco Salary Guide Covers

The Adecco guide divides salaries by industry and occupation. It includes roles in industries such as Accounting & Finance, Business Support, Engineering, Manufacturing, Human Resources, Information & Technology, Logistics, Marketing, Retail, Sales, and Trades. Each role is given a salary range, typically for a standard 38-hour week.

The guide explicitly states it is a general reference, not a definitive source. Salaries are gross (before tax) and exclude superannuation. This is important because the Salary Index uses gross ordinary-time earnings as its base.

Gross Pay in the Adecco Guide

Gross pay is the starting point for any salary discussion. The Adecco guide shows annual figures that are the total cash compensation before deductions. For example, an IT manager might be listed with a range of $130,000 to $160,000. That is the amount subject to income tax and super guarantee.

To put that in context, the national line (index 100) is $108,352 annualised, based on the ABS Average Weekly Earnings for May 2026. A role at $130,000 would have an index of approximately 120, meaning it is 20% above the national average. The Adecco guide’s ranges tend to be above the National Minimum Wage, which from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour or $52,255 annualised (index 48.2).

However, the guide does not provide exact figures for every classification. It is a market indicator, not a substitute for checking award rates or enterprise agreements. For award-covered roles, the Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database contains the actual minimum rates, which rose 4.75% from 1 July 2026.

Superannuation and Tax Considerations

When reading an adecco salary figure, remember that superannuation is additional. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee is 12% of ordinary time earnings, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830. So a gross salary of $100,000 means the employer pays $12,000 into super, making total remuneration $112,000.

Tax is another layer. For the 2026–27 financial year, resident tax rates (excluding Medicare) are:

• Nil up to $18,200
• 15% from $18,201 to $45,000
• 30% from $45,001 to $135,000
• 37% from $135,001 to $190,000
• 45% above $190,000

Plus a 2% Medicare levy. Using the $100,000 example, the estimated tax (including Medicare) is about $24,667, leaving a take-home of $75,333. That does not include HELP repayments or other deductions.

The pay guides on Salary Index provide more detail on how to calculate net pay for different salary levels.

How the Salary Index Relates

The Salary Index expresses any gross annual salary as a number relative to the national line of 100. For example:

• National minimum wage: $52,255 → index 48.2
• National average: $108,352 → index 100
• A role from the Adecco guide at $150,000 → index 138.5

State indexes vary: NSW is 101.2, Victoria 98, WA 106.9, ACT 109.9. Industry indexes also differ: Mining is 154.7, Retail trade is 75.9. The Adecco guide’s ranges for a particular industry can be compared to these benchmarks to see if they are above or below the average.

Because the Adecco guide is a general reference, it is best used as a starting point. For precise pay setting, always check the relevant modern award or enterprise agreement. The topics section on Salary Index covers how to use awards and the national minimum wage.

Conclusion

The Adecco Salary Guide 2025 is a useful tool for understanding market rates across Australian industries. When interpreting an adecco salary figure, consider that it is gross, excludes super, and is a range rather than a fixed amount. By comparing it to the national salary index, you can see where a role sits relative to the average. Always factor in super (12%) and tax (using the 2026–27 rates) to estimate take-home pay. For award-covered employees, the Fair Work Ombudsman and Fair Work Commission provide the legal minimums.