Australia’s media, marketing and advertising professionals are the most likely to feel underpaid in the country, according to the new Hays Salary Guide FY25/26.
A staggering 70 per cent of workers in the sector say their salary doesn’t reflect their responsibilities, with 76 per cent believing they’re underpaid—more than any other profession surveyed.
Ironically, the media sector is among the most likely to receive transformational pay rises of 20 per cent or more in FY26, with 31 per cent of employers indicating plans for significant increases. But that future promise doesn’t seem to be cutting it.
Dissatisfaction is rising, too, 33 per cent of sales and marketing professionals reported a sharp uptick in unhappiness at work, driven by poor work-life balance and cultural misalignment.
Hays APAC CEO Matthew Dickason warned, “It’s no longer enough to cite skills shortages. Unless those shortages are matched with real salary action that aligns with expectations and industry benchmarks, talent will move where the money and opportunity are”.
Despite being an industry built on creativity, communication and culture-shaping influence, media and marketing professionals are increasingly checking their value, and walking.
