How the Adecco Salary Guide Helps You Compare Pay Across States and Industries
The Adecco salary guide provides benchmarks across 14+ industries. See how state and industry differences affect your pay relative to the national index.
The Adecco salary guide offers benchmarks but does not provide a single index figure; state and industry indices from ABS show wide variation.
What the Adecco Salary Guide Tells You About Pay
The Adecco salary guide is a widely used resource for understanding what employers are paying across Australia. Published annually, it covers salary benchmarks for more than 14 industries, from accounting and finance to trades and logistics. The guide also includes hiring trends, insights from senior leaders, and advice on employee value propositions. But how does it help you compare pay across states and industries? That’s where the salary index comes in.
The Salary Index: A Common Yardstick
The salary index, as used by Salary Index, sets 100 as full-time adult ordinary-time earnings. Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics Average Weekly Earnings for May 2026, that’s $2,083.70 per week, or $108,352 a year. Any pay figure can be compared to this line: a job paying $80,000 has an index of about 74, while one paying $150,000 sits at 138. The index makes it easy to see where a role stands relative to the national average.
The Adecco salary guide doesn’t publish its own index numbers, but you can apply the same logic to its benchmarks. For example, if the guide says a senior accountant in Sydney earns $130,000, that’s an index of 120. If the same role in Hobart is listed at $105,000, that’s an index of 97. The guide’s value is in giving you those raw figures; the index helps you interpret them.
State Differences: Where Your Dollar Goes Further
State pay differences are large. Using the on-site reference data, the ACT leads with an index of 109.9 (annualised $119,090), followed by Western Australia at 106.9 ($115,825). At the other end, Tasmania is 88.6 ($96,008) and South Australia 94.6 ($102,450). The Adecco salary guide often breaks down salaries by capital city, so you can see how a role in Melbourne (VIC index 98) compares to one in Brisbane (QLD index 97.9).
Why do these differences matter? Because the cost of living and local labour markets vary. A pay offer that looks modest in Sydney might be competitive in Adelaide. The guide helps you benchmark, but you also need to consider award minima. The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes pay guides for each award, which set the legal minimum. For example, the General Retail Industry Award has minimum rates that are lower than the professional employees award. The Adecco guide shows what employers actually pay above those floors.
Industry Pay Gaps: From Mining to Retail
Industry is the biggest driver of pay differences. Mining has an index of 154.7, meaning the average full-time worker earns about 55% more than the national line. Retail trade is 75.9, and accommodation and food services is 72.5. The Adecco salary guide covers all these sectors, so you can compare a warehouse manager in logistics (index around 100) with a project manager in engineering (likely higher).
For job seekers, the guide helps you target industries where your skills are valued. For employers, it shows what you need to pay to attract talent in a tight market. The guide’s 2026 edition notes that skills shortages and AI are reshaping roles, so benchmarks shift quickly. Always check the latest edition.
Using the Guide with Awards and Super
The Adecco salary guide states that all salaries are exclusive of superannuation. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee is 12%, with a maximum contribution base of $270,830. So a $100,000 salary in the guide means the employer pays an extra $12,000 into super. Award rates also rose by 4.75% from 1 July 2026. The national minimum wage is now $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week (index 48.2). Junior rates are lower, as set by the National Minimum Wage Order.
When you look at a benchmark in the Adecco guide, compare it to the relevant award minimum. For instance, the Health Professionals and Support Services Award has specific classifications. The guide might show a physiotherapist earning $85,000, which is well above the award rate. That’s useful for negotiation.
How to Get the Most from the Guide
The Adecco salary guide is a starting point, not a definitive answer. It’s based on surveys and market intelligence, but actual pay depends on your experience, location, and employer. Use it alongside how the index works to convert figures into index numbers. For state-specific data, check states. For industry breakdowns, see industries. And for broader topics like casual loading or tax, browse topics.
Remember that the index is a gross ordinary-time benchmark. Take-home pay depends on tax and the Medicare levy. For 2026–27, a resident earning $100,000 pays about $22,967 in tax plus 2% Medicare, leaving around $75,033. The guide doesn’t calculate that, but you can estimate using the on-site reference.
Bottom Line
The Adecco salary guide is a practical tool for anyone navigating the Australian job market. It gives you real-world numbers across states and industries. Combine it with official award rates and the salary index, and you have a clear picture of where your pay sits. Whether you’re an employer setting salaries or a job seeker negotiating an offer, the guide helps you make informed decisions.
Questions people ask
What is the Adecco salary guide?
The Adecco Australia Salary Guide is an annual publication that provides salary benchmarks, hiring trends, and workforce insights across 14+ industries. It draws on surveys of employers and employees to help both job seekers and employers understand current pay levels and market conditions. The guide is a general reference and should be used alongside official sources like Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides for minimum rates.
How do state differences affect pay according to the Adecco salary guide?
While the Adecco guide covers national benchmarks, state-level pay differences are significant. For example, based on ABS data, the ACT has an index of 109.9 (annualised $119,090) while Tasmania sits at 88.6 ($96,008). The Adecco guide can help you see how roles in your state compare to the national average, but you should also check award rates and local market conditions.
Which industries show the biggest pay differences in the Adecco salary guide?
The Adecco guide covers industries from mining to retail. Using ABS index figures, mining has an index of 154.7, while retail trade is 75.9 and accommodation and food services is 72.5. The guide provides role-specific benchmarks within these industries, helping you understand where your pay sits relative to the national line of 100.