Defence Industry Insights – 11th Edition is now live.
Kinexus surveyed the defence industry workforce in January 2025 and have captured the data and insights in the document.
Some key takeaways, of vital importance to defence industry employers, are captured in this blog.
National Defence Salary Growth
In the 12 months to January 2025 defence industry salaries have increased by an average of only 1.8%.
This is a decline from the national increase of 3.5% reported in Defence Industry Insights – 10th edition, which surveyed salaries in the 12-month period to January 2024. It is also lower than the Wage Price Index increase of 3.2% recorded in the 12 months to December 2024.
This is the lowest level of average salary increase across the defence industry workforce since 2021 and reflects the subdued business conditions that are evident across the domains and in most geographic locations.
Average increases by state are show in the map below:
Employment Changes in the Near Future
This chart shows the opinion of the respondents when asked, ‘Are you considering a change in employment in the near future?’
46% of respondents indicated that they are looking to move roles either now or in the near future; this is the highest response since 2018.
Those actively looking for a new role has jumped from 23% in 2024 to 29% in 2025.
This shift in mobility is an important call out from this year’s data and employers should be cognisant of this during workforce planning activities.
Job Satisfaction
This graph presents the respondents’ opinion when asked, ‘What has the most impact on your job satisfaction?’ Respondents were asked to select their top five. The percentages show the proportion of respondents who feel the factors below contribute most to their job satisfaction.
The top 3 factors affecting job satisfaction remain unchanged since 2019; interesting work, work life balance and remuneration. This is essential information for all industry employers and should be core components of both attraction and retention workforce strategies.
Responses to Other (3%) included colleagues, senior management, creating new projects and contributing to next generation capabilities.
Defence Industry Insights – Eleventh Edition is available now to download for free.
For a bespoke presentation on our findings, and what they mean for your business, contact us directly via marketing@kinexus.com.au.
