ACA Salary Survey report – July 2019. Vol. 2019.

The ACA National Salary Survey is conducted annually by the Association of Consulting Architects to better understand remuneration in the profession in Australia. In each survey, the ACA seeks responses from its members nationwide. The inaugural survey was conducted in mid-2013, and the most recent in 2019. The survey gathers data on 31 different roles. In addition to architectural staff, salary information is gathered for technicians, interior designers and other staff ranging from reception and clerical positions to chief executive officers. Details on salary packages and conditions and geographic location are also collected. The salary figures discussed in the following sections include superannuation and benefits, but exclude bonuses, dividends, distributions and the like. OVERVIEW The key findings from the 2019 Salary Survey Report are as follows; ● Generally, there were more increases and some decreases in the average salaries across the different staff categories. This is probably because the 2019 Salary Survey had higher number of firms as sample size compared to 2018; ● In 2019 firm size matters for pay rates as found in the 2018 report – generally, the larger the firm size, the higher the pay rates, particularly in the new senior and managerial roles. However, there are variations for particular role categories; ● In 2019, 14% of the firms are paying below the award rate according to the 2019-2020 ACA Salary calculator which is an increase of 4% from the 10% reported in 2018; ● The pay ranges within role categories vary highly. The highest paid roles are almost three times more than the lowest paid roles; ● There is a gender pay gap in the salaries of architectural staff, however, the ratio of female staff compared to male is still lower; and ● In lieu of the 2018 survey findings, majority of the surveyed firms generally do not provide professional support for their staff in terms of registration fees or membership of the Australian Institute of Architects.