Data & ML Engineer hiring in Australia slows 12% this month, but stays senior-heavy
New postings dropped from 73 to 64 in a month, and the bar for experience is high: a median of 5 years, with 1 in 5 roles asking for 10 or more.
is what the typical role asks for. 19% ask for 10 years or more.
40% of open roles state years64 new roles in the last 30 days, against 73 the 30 days before, at the same companies.
Companies read for 60 days or moreat 107 companies hiring in Australia.
Issue of 2 November 2026This week's read
New roles for Data & ML Engineers in Australia fell 12% over the last 30 days, from 73 down to 64. Still, 107 companies are hiring for this role right now, and the typical opening stays live for 27 days before it closes.
This is not an easy market for newcomers. The median posting asks for 5 years of experience, and 19% want 10 years or more. Mid-level and senior titles make up most of the open roles, so if you are early in your career, you will be competing for a smaller slice of the market.
Westpac Group, Deloitte Services, CBA and Accenture are among the most active hirers right now. Together, the top 8 employers account for 31% of all open roles, which means the rest are spread thin across the other companies hiring.
When it comes to skills, AI and machine learning show up in 57% of postings and Python in 56%, both ahead of SQL and the cloud platforms (AWS, Databricks, Azure, Snowflake and Google Cloud all get named, but less often).
Two things to plan around: remote work is rare, at just 3% of open roles, and pay is almost never posted, only 4% of listings include it. You will likely need to go into an office and ask directly about salary rather than relying on the listing.
What this means for you
Three things you can act on this week
- Highlight your years of experience
The median ask is 5 years, and 19% of postings want 10 or more. Make your years of relevant experience easy to find on your resume and in your opening summary.
- Look at the biggest active hirers
Westpac Group, Deloitte Services, CBA and Accenture are among the companies posting the most roles. Start your search there, but remember they hold only 31% of all open roles between them.
- Don't expect remote or posted pay
Only 3% of roles are remote and just 4% list a salary. Plan for office or hybrid work and ask about pay directly in interviews rather than expecting it in the listing.
Momentum
New Data / ML roles each week
Last 30 days: 64 new roles, against 73 the 30 days before (-12%). Each week counts the same companies, and a role counts as new only in the week it was posted, so a careers site we start reading never shows up as growth.
See the numbers
| Week starting | New roles |
|---|---|
| 7 Sep | 23 |
| 14 Sep | 10 |
| 21 Sep | 18 |
| 28 Sep | 14 |
| 5 Oct | 12 |
| 12 Oct | 13 |
| 19 Oct | 16 |
| 26 Oct | 22 |
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open Data / ML roles
107 companies are hiring. The top eight hold 31% of the open roles.
| Company | Open roles | Change in new roles |
|---|---|---|
| Westpac Group | 14 | |
| Deloitte Services Pty | 12 | |
| CBA | 10 | |
| Altis | 6 | |
| Quantium | 5 | |
| Accenture | 4 | |
| ANZ Banking Group | 4 | |
| One51 | 4 |
Change compares new roles in the last 30 days with the 30 days before, shown where a company posted 25 or more in the earlier 30 days. Staffing agencies are left out. A company name links to its Ashney company page where there is one.
What they ask for
The technology Data / ML roles ask for most
Ask Rate is the share of roles that name a skill, from 180 postings read in full. Ways of working (methods such as Agile, tools such as Jira) are listed apart; office tools and soft skills are left out.
Ways of working
Industries named most: Financial services 9%, Banking 7%, Consulting 7%. Certifications named: AWS Certified Solutions Architect 1%, CFA 1%, CISSP 1%. 3% of open roles say they are remote.
Cite this report