​Ben Mitchell, Principal Consultant for our Architecture and Design recruitment team, provides his observations, predictions and advice from the 2023 PACE Survey for the Victorian Architecture & Design industry.

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Some observation from the past 12 months

• High staff turnover in the past few years, though it seems that ‘great resignation’ is coming to a close. The high turnover over the past two years resulted in higher salaries. Between 2013 and 2019 the average resignation rate was 8.24%. For the past two years the average was 11.4%.

• Architecture salary increases have been above inflation for the past 10 years. The salary increase average from 2013 to 2019 was 3.99%. The average for the last two years was 6.7%.

• The roles that are available now compared to 2021 and 2022 are more specific and more likely to be project dependent.

Predictions and advice for the times ahead

• With a slowing in the job market, there’s likely to be a realignment happening with salaries back into line with inflation. Candidates won’t be able to be as insistent with their salary. So, when considering a new role, though money is an important factor, make sure the decision is made on quality not quantity.

• Flexibility is here to stay. There’s a trend for companies to move to four days in the office and for there to be specific days everyone has to be in. People should utilise this to be as effective as possible. In the Architecture space collaboration is key so the more face to face time practices can get for their team will increase their outputs and effectiveness.

• It has become harder for businesses to have access to funding due to the cost of materials, procurement and of doing business and this is slowing the flow of new projects.

• There may be more competition for jobs, but there’s still a skills shortage, though this isn’t as dire as it was. The job market is settling to a high level.

While the future is always unknown and there’s likely to be some bumps along the way, it’s important to note that from the PACE Survey, it was reported that close to half of Victorian architecture companies are optimistic on the outlook for the next two years.

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​Looking for a job in Architecture? Get in contact with our Architecture and Design team.

If you’re after more insights from PACE, you can download the free 2023 PACE Salary Guide & Market Report.