Software Engineer
Software engineers design, build and maintain the software a business or its customers rely on, from a mobile app to the systems running behind a website.
- Median salary
- $131,900
4.4%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 55,200
2.8%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +26.7%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Software engineers work across the whole life of a piece of software: designing it, writing the code, testing it, and supporting it once people are using it. Most work in a product or engineering team alongside designers, product managers and testers, at organisations that build their own digital products, from software companies to banks and government agencies. The title is used loosely, so a front end or back end developer may be doing much the same work under a different name.
How much do software engineers earn?
The median full-time salary for a software engineer is $131,900 per annum, before tax, up $27,900 since 2018.
Seniority moves pay more than anything else in this job, so a graduate and a staff engineer at the same company can sit a long way apart. Sector matters too, with banks, consultancies and large technology employers generally paying above smaller agencies and startups. Contract and day-rate work can look generous week to week, but it comes without paid leave or the security of ongoing employment.
What does a software engineer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Writing code for a feature or a fix, then opening a pull request and working through the review comments that come back
- Reading through an unfamiliar part of the codebase to work out why a bug only shows up for some users
- Joining the team's short daily stand-up to say what you're building and flag anything blocking you
- Sketching a design on a whiteboard or in a short document before committing to an approach
- Watching a release through the monitoring dashboards, and being on call when something breaks after hours
What skills do software engineers need?
Employers look for programming and software development, software testing and QA, agile delivery, backed by Git / GitHub fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- Programming and software development
- Software testing and QA
- Agile delivery
- Data analysis
- Cloud infrastructure
- Project management
Software and tools
- Git / GitHub
- Docker / Kubernetes
- Jenkins / CI-CD pipelines
- AWS / Azure / Google Cloud
- Jira / Linear
General skills
- Problem solving
- Written communication
Is the job growing?
About 55,200 people work as software engineers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 26.7% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a software engineer?
Here's the path most software engineers take, step by step.
- 1Start with a degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field
This is the most common route into the work: 58% of people in the role hold a bachelor degree, and it covers the data structures, algorithms and systems knowledge that technical interviews tend to test.
- 2Build a portfolio while you study
Personal projects, hackathons, internships and group assignments give you code you can show, and employers routinely ask to see something you have written rather than a transcript alone.
- 3Consider a shorter or graduate entry qualification
A diploma or certificate IV in information technology can be enough for a first support or junior role, while people who already hold a degree in another field often enter through a graduate diploma or master's, which 29% of the workforce has done.
- 4Apply for graduate, junior or internship roles
Large employers run structured graduate programs with rotations across teams, and smaller companies advertise junior developer roles; both usually include a technical interview, a take-home exercise or a pair programming session.
- 5Specialise once you have shipped something
Front end, back end, mobile, platform and data work all open up after a year or two of general experience, and each has its own market and its own tools.
Ready to apply as a software engineer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a software engineer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a software engineer move to?
Moving into IT Project Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $40,200 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT Project Manager Delivery experience and technical judgement support a move into project management, with study in planning and stakeholder management.Known move | +$40,200 | 29% | reskill |
| Business Analyst Analytical and systems thinking suit business analysis, but a new qualification is needed to work with stakeholders on requirements.Known move | +$8,300 | 19% | requalify |
| Solutions Architect Design experience grows into solutions architecture, requiring further study in enterprise architecture and system integration. | +$5,900 | 27% | reskill |
| Back End Developer A software engineer's coding and system design skills carry straight into back end work, with only a shift in focus to server side systems.Known move | −$3,100 | 70% | minimal |
| Full Stack Developer Broad programming experience transfers to full stack development, adding front end and database skills through a short course.Known move | −$3,100 | 54% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a software engineer?
The typical software engineer is 37 years old; 84% are men, 92% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 37
- Median age
- 16%
- Female share
- 92%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a software engineer?
The work is mostly quiet concentration broken up by short bursts of collaboration: long stretches alone with a problem, then a review, a stand-up or a design discussion with the team. Progress is visible in a way that suits people who like finishing things, though a single bug can absorb an afternoon and the gap between what you know and what a large codebase contains is wide at the start. Most engineers work a standard week in an office, at home or a mix of both, with occasional evenings around a release or a live incident.
What people like
- Building something people actually use. You can point at a feature in a live product and know exactly how it works, which is a faster feedback loop than most jobs offer.
- Deep focus is part of the job. Long stretches of uninterrupted problem solving are treated as normal rather than a luxury, and engineers tend to guard that time carefully.
- The toolkit keeps moving. Languages, frameworks and cloud services change regularly, so there is always something new to pick up if that appeals to you.
- Flexible and portable skills. Remote and hybrid arrangements are common, and the same skills move between industries, cities and countries without starting over.
What people find hard
- A lot of time at a screen. Most of the day is spent reading and writing code, which is hard on the eyes, the wrists and the back, and not everyone enjoys that much sitting.
- Working inside someone else's code. A large share of the job is understanding systems other people built, often with patchy documentation, before you can change anything safely.
- Interruptions break concentration. Meetings, support requests and urgent fixes chop up the day, and it takes real time to rebuild your mental model of a problem afterwards.
- On-call and release pressure. Someone has to respond when a service fails at two in the morning, and the weeks before a major launch can stretch into evenings.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ software engineers?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of software engineers, followed by Financial and Insurance Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Financial and Insurance Services
- 3Information Media and Telecommunications
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 58.3% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 29% | |
| Year 12 or below | 5.5% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 3.8% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 1.5% |
Will AI replace software engineers?
AI coding assistants now draft functions, suggest tests and explain unfamiliar code, which has changed how the job is done more than how much of it exists. The parts that depend on knowing a particular system, weighing trade-offs with a team and keeping a live service running are far less exposed. Engineers who use the tools well tend to spend more of the week on design and review and less on boilerplate.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Writing and reviewing codeAssistants can draft a function or a test suite in seconds, but a person still decides what the code should do and whether it belongs in this system at all.35%high
- Tracking down bugs and production incidentsLogs, traces and AI suggestions narrow the search, yet reproducing a fault that only appears under real traffic still takes knowledge of the codebase.25%moderate
- Designing systems and reviewing architectureChoosing between a queue and a scheduled job, or deciding how much redundancy a service needs, depends on the team's context and what the business can afford.20%low
- Planning, stand-ups and working with stakeholdersTools will summarise a backlog item or draft a status update, but agreeing scope with a product manager is still a conversation about priorities and trade-offs.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a software engineer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do software engineers earn in Australia?
The median for full-time software engineers is $131,900 per year, before tax. Treat that as a guide to what the role pays rather than a starting salary, since graduates sit below it and senior or staff engineers in large firms sit well above.
How do you become a software engineer?
Most people complete a bachelor degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field, then apply for graduate or junior roles. A portfolio of projects you have built yourself, plus an internship where you can get one, matters as much as the degree when you are applying for a first job.
Are software engineers in demand in Australia?
Software engineers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 26.7% over the decade to 2035. The projection covers the decade to 2035, so read it as the direction the field is heading rather than a forecast for any single year of hiring.
Will AI replace software engineers?
AI tools have changed how the work is done far more than how much of it there is. Coding assistants now draft functions, suggest tests and explain unfamiliar code, which shifts time towards design, review and debugging, while understanding a specific system and keeping it running in production remain human work.
What can software engineers move into?
Coding and system design carry almost directly into back end development, where the focus shifts to server side systems and pay is around $3,100 less. Moving into IT project management uses the delivery experience you build along the way, with study in planning and stakeholder management, and typically pays $40,200 more. Solutions architecture is a longer path that grows out of design work and needs further study in enterprise architecture and system integration.
What hours do software engineers work?
Full-time software engineers average 41 hours a week, and 92% work full time. Standard office hours are the norm, with occasional evening or weekend work around releases and production incidents.
Related roles
- Back End Developer
- Full Stack Developer
- Business Analyst
- IT Project Manager
- Solutions Architect
- QA Tester
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.