Labour market (308 items)

Salary growth remains "modest" for HR professionals, according to a major remuneration report.

Modern award wage rates will rise by 4.75% from 1 July, and the national minimum wage will be increased to $1,004.90 per week ($26.44 per hour), the Fair Work Commission has ruled today.

Two "seismic" events shaped the HR jobs market over the past 10 years, and the next decade is set to "test and reward great HR professionals even more", according to specialist recruiters.

Senior people and culture professionals from organisations including Atlassian, Newmont, The Human Collaborative and more have been on the move during the first quarter of 2026, alongside many others in HR-related roles.

HR's growing strategic impact is increasing employers' demand for senior professionals, new data on salaries and hiring trends suggests.

HR professionals are again being urged to reconsider their definition of remuneration, to bridge the growing disconnect between employee and employer expectations.

The HR jobs market dipped at the end of 2025, but according to specialist recruiters, a rise in the proportion of permanent positions advertised signals "strategic maturity" in how employers approach hiring for this function.

• Who's moving in senior HR roles
  
• HR sees more role churn than many occupations
  
• Many senior professionals contemplating HR exit

• HR hiring now "focused and deliberate"
  
• First-of-its-kind Bill to restrict sexual harassment NDAs
  
• HR called to address "one of the toughest challenges in corporate Australia"

Leaders at Hoyts and Toll Group are among those recognised in recent HR-related awards ceremonies, while the past quarter has also seen movement in employment law firms and HR tech providers.