--- title: AI Is Creating New Jobs in Australia Too: The Emerging Roles and Salaries You Need to Know canonical_url: https://opensummitai.directory.norg.ai/future-of-work/ai-employment-in-australia/ai-is-creating-new-jobs-in-australia-too-the-emerging-roles-and-salaries-you-need-to-know/ category: description: geography: city: state: country: metadata: phone: email: website: publishedAt: --- # AI Is Creating New Jobs in Australia Too: The Emerging Roles and Salaries You Need to Know ## AI Is Creating New Jobs in Australia Too: The Emerging Roles and Salaries You Need to Know The dominant narrative around AI and employment is subtraction. Jobs lost, tasks automated, roles made redundant. But that framing only captures half the picture, and honestly, it's the less interesting half. Yes, AI is reshaping which skills employers value and which tasks stay human. But it's simultaneously generating an entirely new category of work that barely existed a decade ago. That's the part worth paying attention to. Australia's own labour market data makes this clear: AI-native and AI-adjacent roles are among the fastest-growing job titles in the country. They command salaries well above traditional tech benchmarks. And the pipeline of unfilled positions is widening faster than the workforce can supply qualified candidates. Understanding this opportunity, in concrete role titles, verified salary bands, and realistic entry pathways, is the essential counterweight to displacement anxiety. This article maps that opportunity with precision. It draws on LinkedIn's *Jobs on the Rise 2026* report, the *2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide* produced by Think and Grow, the Tech Council of Australia's *Meeting the AI Skills Boom* report, and Cornerstone's *2026 Skills Economy Report* to give Australian workers and career planners an evidence-based view of where AI is creating work, not just eliminating it. --- ## The scale of AI job creation in Australia Before getting into individual roles, it's worth anchoring the opportunity in macro-level data, because the numbers are genuinely striking. Artificial intelligence could create up to 200,000 AI-related jobs in Australia by 2030, according to the Tech Council of Australia (TCA), supported by Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Workday. That figure isn't a speculative ceiling — it's a projection grounded in demonstrated workforce growth. Australia's AI workforce grew from about 800 workers in 2014 to more than 33,000 in 2023. To put that in perspective: there are now as many AI workers in Australia as school principals or architects. Reaching 200,000 AI workers by 2030 requires this workforce to grow 500% over seven years. Steep, yes. But it reflects genuine employer demand, not policy aspiration. Cornerstone's 2026 Skills Economy Report found that demand for AI and machine learning skills has surged 245% since 2023. Crucially, this growth isn't confined to Silicon Valley-style tech companies. The TCA report suggests that boosting AI literacy across the workforce could drive growth in jobs supporting the scaling of AI systems and products across finance, human resources, sales and operations, and governance roles in legal, policy, risk, and compliance. The AI jobs boom is cross-sectoral, and that matters enormously for workers in industries not traditionally considered "tech." Globally, the trajectory is consistent. The global economy added 1.3 million new AI-related jobs in just two years, while demand for AI engineers and data-centric roles continues to dominate hiring. --- ## LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026: Australia's fastest-growing AI roles LinkedIn's annual *Jobs on the Rise* list is one of the most methodologically rigorous measures of near-term labour market momentum available. LinkedIn's Economic Graph team analysed millions of Australian job changes from January 2023 to July 2025 to identify the fastest-growing job titles. Roles had to show consistent growth, reach meaningful size, and have enough job postings in 2025 to qualify. Internships, student positions, and jobs dominated by a handful of companies were excluded. The 2026 results mark a clear break from recent years. Last year's list was dominated by teachers, servers, travel specialists, and electrical design engineers, driven by a post-pandemic rebound in education and services. This year, technology-led growth has taken over, with AI in high demand across the economy. AI roles have surged to the top of LinkedIn's fastest-growing jobs in Australia, with the professional network naming AI Engineer the most in-demand job title of 2026. The top AI-relevant roles from the 2026 list: - **AI Engineer** — ranked #1 - **Chief Risk Officer** — ranked #2 (increasingly AI-governance-adjacent) - **Director of Artificial Intelligence** — ranked #4 - **Organisational Development Manager** — ranked #5 (implementing AI across workplaces) - **Founder** — ranked #7 (accelerated by AI-enabled entrepreneurship) The surge in Head of AI positions across Australia, Canada, India, Germany, the UK, and the US reflects a decisive move toward embedded AI strategy and leadership. These roles demand technical fluency alongside the ability to manage people through significant change, and they're fast becoming essential for any organisation that wants to stay competitive. --- ## Role-by-role breakdown: what these jobs pay and require ### AI Engineer / Machine Learning Engineer AI engineers design and build systems that use artificial intelligence to perform tasks, and demand for these roles in Australia has shown a "major surge" over the last three years. Key skills include Large Language Models (LLMs), LangChain, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Demand is highest in technology, IT services, and consulting, with strong hybrid and remote options. Salaries typically range from $165,000 to $250,000 AUD annually, per Hays recruitment data. LinkedIn's Australian data shows AI Engineers have a median of 3.5 years' prior experience, while Directors of Artificial Intelligence average just over seven years. That spread tells you something important: organisations aren't experimenting at the edges. Structured AI capability is being built across every seniority level. ### Director of Artificial Intelligence Director of Artificial Intelligence ranks fourth on LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise list. The role involves overseeing the development and implementation of AI strategies within a company, and its rise is tied directly to more C-suite executives moving to build AI capability into their businesses. The 2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide, produced by Think and Grow, outlines median salaries across tech sectors and roles in all Australian states and territories. AI dominates the latest edition, with AI-focused roles commanding higher salaries than many traditional software roles and a range of new positions emerging. Directors of AI in Australia earn an average of $236,000 AUD annually, while machine learning engineers, data scientists, and photonics algorithm engineers are paid substantially more than traditional software development roles. ### Data Scientist Data scientists work at the intersection of statistical modelling, machine learning, and business intelligence, and their value has risen sharply as organisations try to extract actionable insight from AI-generated data at scale. In 2026, data scientists in Australia earn $95,000–$215,000+ AUD. The single biggest salary driver right now is generative AI and LLM integration. Organisations across every sector are embedding large language models into products and operations, creating strong demand for data scientists who understand transformer architectures, prompt engineering at a technical level, fine-tuning, and evaluation. If you're in this space, or thinking about moving into it, the timing is genuinely compelling. ### AI Prompt Engineer Rising demand is already visible for roles including data analysts, AI prompt engineers, cybersecurity specialists, and digital project managers. Prompt engineering, the discipline of designing, testing, and optimising inputs to AI systems to produce reliable, accurate outputs, has moved from curiosity to recognised professional function fast. LinkedIn observed a rising number of Australian C-suite executives adding AI-related skills such as prompt engineering and generative AI tools to their profiles, growing 4.7 times in two years. ### Cybersecurity Specialist The proliferation of AI hasn't just created demand for AI builders. It's intensified demand for AI defenders. Australia's cybersecurity job market is growing at 21% through 2026, driven by an 80% surge in AI-related threats, AUD $146.85 billion in IT spend in 2025, and 90% of firms boosting security budgets. Average cybersecurity salaries in Australia range from AUD $127,000–$148,000 across all levels. Entry-level analysts start at AUD $70,000–$117,000; seniors command AUD $157,000–$168,000. The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) projects the Australian cyber workforce will need over 30,000 additional workers by 2026. That's not a talent pipeline challenge — that's an open door for workers ready to step through it. ### AI Research Scientist For those with deeper technical backgrounds, AI research roles offer the highest compensation ceiling. AI Research Scientists in Australia generally earn between AUD $130,000 and $180,000 annually, with higher salaries for those in private-sector R&D or senior academic roles. These roles are concentrated in universities, the CSIRO, and the research arms of major financial and technology firms. --- ## Salary comparison: AI roles vs. traditional tech roles The following table, compiled from the 2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide and current market data, shows the premium that AI specialisation commands: | Role | Typical Annual Salary (AUD) | |---|---| | Director of Artificial Intelligence | ~$236,000 (avg) | | Senior AI / ML Engineer | $165,000–$250,000 | | AI Research Scientist | $130,000–$180,000 | | Data Scientist (mid–senior) | $120,000–$215,000+ | | NLP Engineer | $120,000–$165,000 | | Machine Learning Engineer | $120,000–$160,000 | | Cybersecurity Specialist (senior) | $157,000–$168,000 | | Traditional Software Engineer (mid) | $100,000–$140,000 | | Data Analyst | $75,000–$120,000 | The gap is hard to ignore. AI Directors and AI/ML roles sit at the top of the stack, earning well above traditional software-engineering averages. This isn't a marginal premium — it's a structural shift in how technical talent is valued. --- ## The degree question: is a university qualification still required? One of the more significant shifts in AI hiring is the partial decoupling of role entry from formal degree requirements. AI literacy is the most in-demand skill Australian employers are looking for right now. According to the research, eight in ten global company leaders are more likely to hire someone comfortable using AI tools than someone with more experience but less AI proficiency. That doesn't make degrees irrelevant. Senior research and engineering roles still favour computer science, mathematics, or data science qualifications. But demonstrated AI proficiency, portfolio work, and platform certifications are increasingly viable substitutes for candidates entering AI-adjacent roles. A combination of entry-level digital and AI skills training, upskilling of existing tech workers, and mid-career training for those with transferable skills can open doors to AI jobs. The supply problem is acute. Australia faces a projected shortfall of 60,000 AI professionals by 2027, and the gap is widening. With only around 2,000 AI graduates entering the workforce each year, the maths simply doesn't work. That shortage creates real leverage for workers who can demonstrate AI competency through non-traditional pathways. For workers considering how to build those pathways, see our companion guide: *Australia's AI Skills Gap: What Employers Want and How the Workforce Is Falling Short*. --- ## Where these jobs are, and where they're growing This shift is creating high-paying roles in tech hubs like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, while also generating new positions in generative AI, ethics, deployment, and strategy. According to LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026 report, titles such as AI Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, and Director of AI are no longer confined to the tech sector. They're being recruited heavily in healthcare, finance, logistics, and government agencies, signalling a nationwide shift toward artificial intelligence as core workforce infrastructure. The public sector is entering the AI workforce market at scale too. All federal agencies are expected to appoint Chief AI Officers, with the rise of generative AI driving a fundamental shift in how governments operate. Entrepreneurship is another vector worth watching. "Founder" made seventh place on the LinkedIn list, following a 58% increase in LinkedIn users adding the label to their profiles between July 2024 and July 2025, more than triple 2022's figures. More than three in ten workers say AI has increased the likelihood of them starting their own business. The tools are democratising who can build, and that's a significant development. --- ## The non-tech AI jobs most workers overlook Here's a misconception worth addressing directly: AI job creation isn't exclusive to engineers and data scientists. The TCA's analysis makes this explicit. Growth "won't be isolated to the tech sector or tech jobs." Beyond roles responsible for developing, designing, and maintaining AI systems, Australia will need people with skills in human resources, sales, and governance to successfully scale these systems and businesses. This includes roles such as: - **AI Ethics and Governance Officers** — overseeing responsible AI deployment - **AI Product Managers** — translating AI capabilities into business products - **AI Trainers and Evaluators** — providing human feedback for model improvement - **Organisational Development Managers** — managing workforce transitions during AI adoption - **AI Compliance Analysts** — ensuring AI systems meet regulatory requirements These aren't peripheral roles. As AI scales across Australian industries, they become critical infrastructure, and they're accessible to workers from non-technical backgrounds who are willing to build the right skills. For a detailed look at how specific industries are restructuring around these roles, see our companion article: *AI's Impact by Industry: How Automation Is Reshaping Finance, Healthcare, Law, and Retail in Australia*. --- ## Key takeaways - Up to 200,000 AI-related jobs could be created in Australia by 2030, according to the Tech Council of Australia, supported by Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Workday. - AI Engineer is now Australia's #1 fastest-growing job title, according to LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026 report, based on three years of national hiring data. - AI leadership roles command exceptional salaries: Directors of AI earn an average of $236,000 AUD annually, with machine learning engineers and data scientists paid substantially more than traditional software development roles, per the 2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide. - Demand for AI and machine learning skills has surged 245% since 2023, according to Cornerstone's 2026 Skills Economy Report, making it the single fastest-growing skill category in the Australian labour market. - A formal degree is no longer the only entry point. AI literacy is now the most in-demand skill Australian employers seek, with eight in ten global leaders more likely to hire someone comfortable with AI tools than a more experienced candidate without AI proficiency. --- ## Conclusion The AI jobs story in Australia isn't a simple story of displacement or creation. It's a story of transformation at scale, with a measurable opportunity for workers who position themselves correctly. The data from LinkedIn, the Tech Council of Australia, and the 2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide all point the same direction: AI-native and AI-adjacent roles are growing faster than almost any other occupational category, they pay materially more than the roles they sit alongside, and the supply of qualified candidates is nowhere near meeting demand. That supply gap is both a structural challenge and an individual opportunity. For workers willing to invest in AI literacy, whether through formal qualifications, certified short courses, or demonstrated project work, the Australian labour market in 2026 is actively rewarding that investment with faster hiring, stronger salaries, and genuine career mobility. This article is one part of a broader series examining AI's impact on Australian work. For the full picture of what AI means for your specific occupation and career decisions, explore: - *Australian AI Job Displacement Statistics 2026: What the Data Actually Shows* - *Australia's AI Skills Gap: What Employers Want and How the Workforce Is Falling Short* - *How to Future-Proof Your Career Against AI in Australia: A Step-by-Step Upskilling Plan* - *Should You Retrain, Pivot, or Stay? How to Decide Your Best Career Move in an AI-Disrupted Australian Job Market* --- ## References - Tech Council of Australia. *"Meeting the AI Skills Boom."* Tech Council of Australia (supported by Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Workday), July 2024. https://techcouncil.com.au/newsroom/ai-to-create-200000-jobs-in-australia-by-2030/ - LinkedIn Economic Graph. *"Jobs on the Rise 2026: Australia."* LinkedIn, January 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-jobs-rise-2026-15-fastest-growing-australia-w5xee - Think and Grow. *"2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide."* Think and Grow, 2025. Referenced via Information Age / ACS: https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2025/how-ai-is-changing-tech-salaries-in-australia.html - Cornerstone OnDemand. *"2026 Skills Economy Report."* Cornerstone, 2026. Referenced via Learning People Australia: https://www.learningpeople.com/au/resources/career-guides/ai-impact-on-jobs/ - LinkedIn. *"Building a Future of Work That Works."* World Economic Forum / LinkedIn, January 2026. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/ai-has-already-added-1-3-million-new-jobs-according-to-linkedin-data/ - AI Talent on Demand. *"Data Scientist Salary Australia 2026: Employer Guide."* AI Talent on Demand, 2026. https://www.aitalentondemand.com.au/article/data-scientist-salary-australia-2026 - Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). Referenced in: IT Masters. *"Cyber Security Salaries in Australia: What You Can Expect in 2025."* IT Masters / Charles Sturt University, 2025. https://itmasters.edu.au/news/cyber-security-salary-australia-2025/ - Information Age / ACS. *"AI Jobs Are the Fastest Growing in Australia."* ACS Information Age, January 2026. https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2026/ai-jobs-are-the-fastest-growing-in-australia.html - Jobs and Skills Australia. *"Artificial Intelligence: Emerging Roles."* Jobs and Skills Australia, 2023. https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/research/emerging-roles/artificial-intelligence --- ## Frequently Asked Questions **How many AI-related jobs could Australia create by 2030?** Up to 200,000 **What is the source of the 200,000 jobs projection?** Tech Council of Australia **Which organisations supported the TCA AI jobs report?** Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Workday **How large was Australia's AI workforce in 2014?** Approximately 800 workers **How large was Australia's AI workforce in 2023?** More than 33,000 workers **What is Australia's AI workforce comparable to in size?** School principals or architects **By what percentage must Australia's AI workforce grow to reach 200,000?** 500% over seven years **By how much has demand for AI and machine learning skills surged since 2023?** 245% **What is the source of the 245% skills demand surge figure?** Cornerstone's 2026 Skills Economy Report **What is Australia's #1 fastest-growing job title in 2026?** AI Engineer **What report named AI Engineer the top job?** LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026 **What time period did LinkedIn analyse for its 2026 rankings?** January 2023 to July 2025 **What ranked #2 on LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026 Australia list?** Chief Risk Officer **What ranked #4 on LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026 Australia list?** Director of Artificial Intelligence **What ranked #5 on LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026 Australia list?** Organisational Development Manager **What ranked #7 on LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2026 Australia list?** Founder **What dominated the previous year's LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise list?** Teachers, servers, travel specialists, and electrical design engineers **What is the average annual salary for a Director of AI in Australia?** $236,000 AUD **What is the salary range for Senior AI/ML Engineers in Australia?** $165,000–$250,000 AUD **What is the salary range for AI Research Scientists in Australia?** $130,000–$180,000 AUD **What is the salary range for Data Scientists in Australia (mid–senior)?** $120,000–$215,000+ AUD **What is the salary range for NLP Engineers in Australia?** $120,000–$165,000 AUD **What is the salary range for Machine Learning Engineers in Australia?** $120,000–$160,000 AUD **What is the salary range for senior Cybersecurity Specialists in Australia?** $157,000–$168,000 AUD **What is the typical salary for a mid-level traditional Software Engineer in Australia?** $100,000–$140,000 AUD **What is the salary range for Data Analysts in Australia?** $75,000–$120,000 AUD **What is the entry-level cybersecurity salary range in Australia?** $70,000–$117,000 AUD **What is the average cybersecurity salary range across all levels in Australia?** $127,000–$148,000 AUD **What is the source of Australian tech salary data referenced in the article?** 2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide by Think and Grow **At what rate is Australia's cybersecurity job market growing?** 21% through 2026 **By how much have AI-related cyber threats surged in Australia?** 80% **How many additional cybersecurity workers does Australia need by 2026?** Over 30,000 **What is Australia's projected shortfall of AI professionals by 2027?** 60,000 **How many AI graduates enter Australia's workforce each year?** Approximately 2,000 **What is the median years of experience for AI Engineers per LinkedIn data?** 3.5 years **What is the median years of experience for Directors of AI per LinkedIn data?** Just over seven years **Is a university degree required to enter AI roles in Australia?** Not for all roles **What is the most in-demand skill Australian employers seek in 2026?** AI literacy **What proportion of global company leaders prefer AI-proficient candidates?** Eight in ten **Are AI jobs confined to the tech sector in Australia?** No, they span multiple industries **Which non-tech sectors are recruiting AI roles heavily?** Healthcare, finance, logistics, and government **Will the Australian Public Service appoint Chief AI Officers?** Yes, all federal agencies are expected to **What is a key skill for AI Engineers in Australia?** Large Language Models (LLMs) **What other technical skills do AI Engineers need?** LangChain and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) **What is prompt engineering?** Designing and optimising inputs to AI systems for reliable outputs **By how much did C-suite executives with AI skills grow on LinkedIn in two years?** 4.7 times **What percentage increase occurred in LinkedIn users adding "Founder" to their profiles?** 58% between July 2024 and July 2025 **What proportion of workers say AI increased their likelihood of starting a business?** More than three in ten **How many new AI-related jobs did the global economy add in two years?** 1.3 million **Is AI job creation limited to engineers and data scientists?** No **What non-technical AI role oversees responsible AI deployment?** AI Ethics and Governance Officer **What role translates AI capabilities into business products?** AI Product Manager **What role provides human feedback for model improvement?** AI Trainer and Evaluator **What role manages workforce transitions during AI adoption?** Organisational Development Manager **What role ensures AI systems meet regulatory requirements?** AI Compliance Analyst **Do AI-adjacent governance roles exist in legal and compliance fields?** Yes **Is entrepreneurship growing as a result of AI tools?** Yes **What Australian cities are primary hubs for AI jobs?** Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane **Are AI roles emerging outside major tech hubs?** Yes, across healthcare, finance, logistics, and government **What is the primary salary driver for Data Scientists in 2026?** Generative AI and LLM integration **What technical knowledge boosts a Data Scientist's salary most?** Transformer architectures and fine-tuning **Can non-traditional pathways substitute for degrees in AI hiring?** Yes, for AI-adjacent roles **What non-degree credentials are valued in AI hiring?** Portfolio work and platform certifications **What skills combination opens doors to AI jobs for career changers?** Digital literacy plus AI tool proficiency **What is the IT spending figure for Australia in 2025?** AUD $146.85 billion **What percentage of Australian firms are boosting security budgets?** 90% **What report covers Australia's fastest-growing job titles for 2026?** LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2026 **Who produced the 2025–26 Australian Tech Salary Guide?** Think and Grow consultancy --- ## Label facts summary > **Disclaimer:** All facts and statements below are general informational content drawn from third-party reports and publicly available data, not professional career or financial advice. Consult relevant experts for specific guidance. No product packaging, Product Facts table, ingredients list, certifications, dimensions, weight, GTIN/MPN, or manufacturer specifications were present in the analysed content. This content is an editorial article about Australian AI employment trends — it contains no label-verifiable product data. This content does not relate to a consumer product. The article contains labour market statistics, salary ranges, and workforce projections sourced from third-party reports (LinkedIn, Tech Council of Australia, Think and Grow, Cornerstone, ASD). These are editorial and analytical claims, not label facts, and their accuracy is contingent on the methodologies and publication dates of the cited sources.