- 'Defence jobs' was the most searched term in Australia, earlier in 2023.
- ADF permanent personnel and reservists are entitled to a range of benefits.
- 'Information Technology' was the most searched job in 15 out of 39 countries.
Australians are searching for defence jobs at an increasingly rapid rate, and the financial benefits for those who serve in the military make them an attractive option for those wishing to purchase their first property.
Research from Compare the Market has identified the defence industry as the number one, most searched industry by job seekers in Australia. The ADF reported an uptick in applications of almost 15% in the last 12 months, with applications for the navy increasing 41% in 2022-23, according to a defence force spokesperson.
Australia recorded 37.93 searches for jobs in the armed forces per 100,000 people, with the financial benefits of serving in the Australian Defence Force perhaps explaining why Aussies are so keen to put on a military uniform.
ADF members are offered a range of property-buying incentives:
“The ADF provides financial assistance to members to buy and sell a home, to repay their home loan, or to support their rent repayments through a number of schemes.”
ADF spokesperson
Permanent Forces and Reserve members of the ADF are offered a lump sum payment when they invest in a property: $16,949 before tax when they purchase a new home under the Home Purchase Assistance Scheme (HPAS).
Conditions include completion of 12 months of continued full-time service and occupying the home for at least 12 months, starting within a specified time limit.
Many states and territories also exempt ADF personnel from having to live in their newly bought properties for a period upon receiving the First Home Builders grant, or the First Home Owners grant.
This is due to the ins and outs of military life, including having to relocate when you receive orders to be posted in another location. Experts in cyber and space technologies are now highly sought after.
“The ADF has a unique and diverse employment offer to match the unique nature of work that the ADF delivers.
“In addition to the traditional domains of sea, land, and air, employment in the cyber and space domains is increasingly important to Defence capability and national security.”
ADF spokesperson
When members of the ADF sell their home, perhaps due to being posted in another location, another scheme called the Home Purchase or Sale Expenses Allowance gives ADF personnel reimbursement of some costs related to selling a home.
First homeowners in the ADF are able to access a few other financial benefits such as the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme.
This payment is dependent on the length of service and is different for permanent personnel and reservists. Permanent personnel who have served for more than 4 years can get a subsidy of up to $739 per month, with a loan limit of $547,373.
Which defence jobs pay the highest in Australia?
Defence jobs for permanent personnel offer steady pay and are mostly dependent upon rank.
The top brass are, as you would expect, paid the big bucks, with starred senior officers earning as much as $428,000 per year. The pay scale for other ranks ranges from around $220,000 for a Colonel to $54,000 for recruits.
Specialist roles within the ADF often have very competitive pay, the highest-paid military medical trauma jobs coming in at just over $400,000. The ADF also offers roles in chaplaincy and spiritual wellbeing.
What other jobs are the most searched online?
Job searches worldwide show a different picture when it comes to which roles are the most in-demand, according to Compare the Market’s research.
By far the most searched job category in the 39 nations surveyed was Information Technology. It was the number one searched industry per 100,000 people in 15 of the 39 countries including Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, and the USA.
Construction and healthcare rounded off the top three, suggesting that the return of immigration is having an effect on the jobs market in many countries, as migrants look to fill the gaps left by emigration, border restrictions, and skills shortages.
By far the highest number of jobs searched in any one industry was in Denmark, where the average Dane searched 75.86 times for a job in healthcare.
This is unsurprising in a country where stronger-than-expected economic growth has given the Danish government cause to splurge an extra $739 million on the sector.
With advancements in Artificial Intelligence, the increasing importance of cybersecurity, and the automation of many processes previously undertaken by humans, businesses and organisations are searching for more workers with qualifications in IT to meet the needs of changing roles.
The University of Melbourne has received praise for being one of the best places to study IT in Australia, coming in at number one in the QS Top University Rankings by Subject in 2023. It is ranked 41st worldwide.
US universities make up the top three, with the Massetuchets Institute of Technology being the best University to study IT in the world, according to QS.
Chile and Norway were the only countries where mining was the most searched job type. Sweden’s healthy real estate industry apparently made finding jobs selling houses attractive in the frosty northern European country.
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