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How much you earn working as a project manager can depend on a range of different factors, including location, experience and your industry. You can work in-house for an organisation, consult with various businesses, and negotiate an hourly or fixed project rate. According to Seek the average annual salary for a general project manager in Australia is $130,000 per year.

What do project managers do?

Project managers are responsible for coordinating, planning and executing projects. They work with stakeholders and clients and are typically accountable for communicating project updates or changes. Project managers also identify and address issues, monitor team progress, and meet project milestones.  

Project managers are required to deliver projects on time and within budget. Some skills that make a successful project manager include good time management, communication and teamwork. 

Demand for project managers

According to RMIT, the project management field in Australia currently has more job openings than available candidates. As of December 2021, there were approximately 35,8745 project manager roles available in Australia on SEEK and 4,160 on Indeed, highlighting that project managers are currently some of the most sought after positions for businesses. 

Areas of specialisation

Project managers can work in all types of industries, supporting any business that regularly implements new projects that require a project manager's skills. 

According to Hays, the below list shows the average ranges for specific types of project managers across Australia:

• Information Technology Project Managers: $102,000 to $150,000 
• Senior Project Manager: $122,000 to $180,000 
• Project Managers in Resources and Mining: $112,000 to $260,000 
• Project Managers in Oil and Gas: $122,000 to $250,000
• Specific Project Manager in Rail Infrastructure: $122,000 to $255,000

Location

Where you live, and work can also impact your salary. According to Hays, a Project Manager working in Policy and Strategy in Tasmania averages an annual salary of $97,000 compared to the same role in Sydney, which averages $133,000 per year.

Career outlook

The Anderson Economic Group estimated a yearly professional shortfall of around 1.5 million jobs across the project management industry. 

In the Future of Project Management Global Outlook (2009), 74% of companies stated that the role and skills of product managers were likely to become even more critical in the future.

Next steps

Our Diploma of Project Management offers you the skills you need for a successful career in project management, with 74.9% of graduates finding full-time employment upon completion.