How the national full-time average sets the line
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publishes the Average Weekly Earnings survey twice a year, for May and November. The May 2026 release shows that full-time adult ordinary-time earnings (seasonally adjusted) were $2,083.70 per week. Multiplied by 52, that is about $108,352 a year. This is the line on this site — the benchmark against which all salaries are compared.
But a project manager’s pay rarely sits exactly on that line. The role spans industries from construction to IT to government, and each sector, state, and pay-setting method pulls the figure in a different direction.
Where project manager pay sits against the line
The ABS does not publish a specific ‘project manager’ salary. The closest published category is the ‘Managers’ occupation group. According to the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey for May 2025, managers had average weekly total cash earnings of $2,800.90. That works out to roughly $145,647 a year — well above the national full-time average.
However, that figure includes all managers, from chief executives to retail managers. A project manager in construction or IT may earn more or less than that average. The median weekly earnings for all full-time employees were $1,887 in May 2025, and for all employees (including part-time) the median was $1,436. For managers, the median would be higher, but the ABS does not publish a separate median for that occupation.
If you are a project manager, your pay will depend heavily on where you work and how your pay is set.
Why state matters
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings release also gives full-time ordinary-time earnings by state (original, May 2026). These are the on-site figures:
- New South Wales: $2,108.80 per week ($109,658 a year)
- Victoria: $2,041.10 ($106,137)
- Queensland: $2,039.70 ($106,064)
- South Australia: $1,970.20 ($102,450)
- Western Australia: $2,227.40 ($115,825)
- Tasmania: $1,846.30 ($96,008)
- Northern Territory: $1,984.10 ($103,173)
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290.20 ($119,090)
A project manager in Western Australia or the ACT is likely to earn above the national line, partly because of the mining and public-sector presence. In Tasmania, the state average is below the national line, so a project manager there may earn less, though senior roles can still exceed it.
Place a salary on the line to see how your own pay compares with the national average and your state’s average.
Why awards and agreements matter
How your pay is set can pull your salary away from the national line. The ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey shows that 38.5% of employees have their pay set by individual arrangement, 34.6% by collective agreement, and 22.7% by an award only.
Project managers in the construction industry may be covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020. That award has classifications such as Project Manager Level 1 and Level 2, with minimum hourly rates that increased by 4.75% from 1 July 2026. The national minimum wage from the same date is $26.44 per hour ($1,004.90 per week, $52,255 a year on 38 hours). Award rates for project managers are higher than the minimum but still well below market rates for experienced professionals.
Many project managers are on enterprise agreements or individual contracts that pay above award. In the private sector, the average full-time ordinary-time earnings for all occupations is $2,034.10 per week ($105,773 a year), but for managers it is much higher. The method of setting pay also varies by state — for example, in Western Australia, employees on individual arrangements average $2,005.70 per week, while those on awards average only $817.50.
Tax and take-home pay
Once you know your gross annual salary, you can estimate tax using the 2026–27 resident rates: nil up to $18,200, 15% from $18,201 to $45,000, 30% from $45,001 to $135,000, 37% from $135,001 to $190,000, and 45% above $190,000. The Medicare levy adds 2% (with possible reductions). A project manager earning $145,647 would fall into the 37% bracket, but the effective tax rate is lower.
States and territories gives a fuller picture of how location changes the line.
The bottom line
There is no single ‘project manager salary’ in Australia. The national full-time average of $108,352 is a useful starting point, but your actual pay will be shaped by your state, industry, experience, and whether you are on an award, agreement, or individual contract. Use the tools on this site to see where your salary sits against the line.
How the figures are set explains the sources and methods behind the numbers.