Huge minimum salary Australian job seekers are searching for in 2025
The whopping six-figure salary Australian job seekers want in 2025 has been revealed, along with what they are willing to give up to get there.
Australia’s cost-of-living crisis hangover is still looming heavily over the country, with the most recent inflation figure doing little to ease concerns.
Following several months of easing inflation, the key cost-of-living indicator for July jumped, climbing to 2.8 per cent, up from 1.9 per cent in June and the highest level seen in 12 months.
The “absolute shocker” of a spike is yet another blow to struggling Aussies, who have been left to deal with the aftermath of years of price rises and brutal rate increases.
Australians are doing whatever they can to get by and bringing in a solid income is now more important than ever.
New data from top employment website, SEEK, has hinted at the minimum salary workers believe they need to get by in 2025.
SEEK salary filter data shows $150,000 is the most common minimum pay people are entering when searching for jobs, with this figure accounting for 13.6 per cent of searches from January to June, 2025.
This is followed by $100,000, with 13.5 per cent of users putting this as the minimum salary.
A filter for a $120,000 salary was applied by 12.04 per cent of users, followed by 11.09 per cent searching for $80,000.
MORE: A guide to the average salary in Australia
A small percentage aimed even higher, with 7.2 per cent putting $200,000 as the minimum salary filter.
SEEK’s customer insights & research team APAC senior marketing manager, Kylie Pascoe, said it is clear that cost-of-living pressures are weighing on many Australians.
Speaking to news.com.au, she said the trends seen in the data from the minimum salary filter is “likely a reflection of Australian workers aiming for higher salaries on their job hunt to help in meeting their financial needs”.
“Even if they’re not in a position to apply for a job in that salary bracket right now, we find that jobseekers can also use SEEK’s salary filter tool as a way to better understand how to work towards skill sets and roles with that higher salary range in future career moves or negotiations,” she said.
SEEK’s Money Matters report, which includes responses from more than 4000 Australian workers, further highlighted that salaries are clearly front of mind for many people right now.
The report found only a third of Aussie workers currently feel financially secure, with four in 10 believing you need over $100,000 to live comfortably.
These financial pressures are now causing employees to make tough decisions when it comes to their careers and work-life balance.
MORE: Australia’s fastest growing salaries
While flexibility is still highly valued, workers are willing to shift their priorities when more money is on the table.
The vast majority (76 per cent) of respondents said they would be willing to return to the office full time for a salary increase.
Of those, 20 per cent said they would need between a 6 to 10 per cent bump, while 19 per cent said they would need their pay to increase by 20 per cent or more.
Digging into this figure further shows that Gen Z are leading the charge, with 86 per cent of respondents in this generation willing to head back to the office if it means more money.
“We know Australian workers are feeling the squeeze of rising living costs while still striving for balance in their work and lives,” Ms Pascoe said.
“By sharing these insights, we hope to empower workers to make confident career decisions - and help businesses better understand the forces shaping today’s workforce.”
Earlier this year, more than 54,000 Australians revealed what salary a person would need to earn to be considered “rich” in 2025.
The question was a part of news.com.au’s Great Aussie Debate survey, which asked participants a range of questions everything from the cost of living and homeownership, to electric vehicles and going shoeless in supermarkets.
The majority of respondents, 56 per cent, said you need to be earning more than $250,000 to fit into the “rich” category.
This is quite a leap from the average salary for a full-time employee in Australia, which is sitting around $108,000 a year.
It is even further from the median-full time salary, which is closer to $90,000.
The next highest response to our salary question was $200,000-$250,000, which 20 per cent of people said was enough to make you rich.
Of those surveyed, 14.8 per cent said between $150,000-$200,000 was enough, 6.1 per cent chose $100,000-$150,000 and just 2.6 per cent said between $80,000-$100,000 made you rich.
Taxpayers earning a total income of just over $180,000 a year are considered to be in the top five per cent of earners in Australia, according to ATO figures analysed by the Grattan Institute.
Those with a gross yearly income of $375,378 or more are in the top one per cent of taxpayers.
Originally published as Huge minimum salary Australian job seekers are searching for in 2025
