Work in Australia
Jobs in Australia
482 Skills in Demand into Sydney and Melbourne — high AUD salaries, high rent, no lottery.
Editorial
Reviewed April 2026 (visa) and August 2026 (salary). Guidance only — not immigration legal advice. Market estimates, not job offers. How we source this
Work permit
Skills in Demand (subclass 482)
Mid software engineer · Sydney
A$162,180
Studio rent · Sydney
$1,600/mo
Visa
Skills in Demand (subclass 482)
Employer-sponsored 482 (Skills in Demand) is the workhorse temporary visa, with core, specialist, and labour-shortage streams after the 2024 redesign. Points-tested permanent visas (189/190) sit alongside for occupations on the relevant list. Home Affairs updates lists and income thresholds often. You generally cannot just arrive and job-hunt on a visitor visa with intent to work.
English is the working language.
Home Affairs — working in Australia ↗ · Short-stay visa checker
Job market
How hiring actually works
Sydney and Melbourne split finance/tech vs a broader professional market. Pay is high in AUD, then taxed, then spent on rent that surprised a generation of movers. English is native. Distance from Europe/US is the lifestyle variable nobody puts in the offer letter.
Cities on this page: Sydney, Melbourne. Search on Global Job Scanner is account-gated; create a free account to run a live Australia query.
Pay
Mid-level salaries, local currency
Same model as the salary checker (2025–2026 market estimates, Q1 2026 FX). Not an offer.
| City | Software Engineer | Product Manager | Data Scientist |
|---|---|---|---|
| SydneyAUD | A$162,180 | A$166,005 | A$152,235 |
| MelbourneAUD | A$153,000 | A$156,825 | A$143,820 |
Compare Sydney against another city · Rent and budget in the cost of living calculator
Questions
Before you book a one-way ticket
What visa do I need to work in Australia?
Skills in Demand (subclass 482). Employer-sponsored 482 (Skills in Demand) is the workhorse temporary visa, with core, specialist, and labour-shortage streams after the 2024 redesign. Points-tested permanent visas (189/190) sit alongside for occupations on the relevant list. Home Affairs updates lists and income thresholds often. You generally cannot just arrive and job-hunt on a visitor visa with intent to work.
What does a software engineer earn in Australia?
A mid-level software engineer in Sydney is about A$162,180 in our 2026 model (local currency, market estimate — not an offer). Compare other roles in the table on this page or the salary checker.
Can I get by in English?
English is the working language.
Search
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