Melbourne Tech Hiring in FY25-26: “Precision Over Pace”
June 30, 2025
The Melbourne FY25-26 tech hiring landscape is sharper and more strategic than it has been in years.
Jon-Paul Hoey, Director at Emanate Technology in Melbourne, has worked across the tech recruitment space for close to a decade and says he has never seen a market quite like this. "Hiring may have slowed in volume," he notes, "but it has accelerated in intent." That sentiment is now widely echoed across businesses navigating the new rhythm of talent acquisition.
The Melbourne tech market bottomed out in mid-2024, SEEK data showed tech job ads were down by nearly 30% year on year, and applications surged as opportunities dried up. Businesses are moving away from headcount expansion and towards roles with measurable impact. AI, cyber security, cloud engineering and platform modernisation are leading the charge.
Job design has also evolved.
Principal-level individual contributors are being asked to stretch further, combining engineering depth with architectural oversight and delivery accountability.
Leadership hiring is making a return too.
But much of it is happening quietly. After several years of turbulence, many organisations are taking a discreet approach.
In parallel, the AI market has taken hold.
Although not without its growing pains. Demand for skilled ML engineers, AI developers and product managers is back, but so is the hype.
On the candidate side, the influence of generative AI is being felt in a different way. Hiring managers are seeing more CVs than ever that read well but feel oddly indistinct. GenAI tools have made it easier to write a polished application, but often at the expense of personality.
The lesson from all of this is clear.
The Victorian businesses that will thrive in 2025 and beyond are not scaling for the sake of it. They are solving problems with intent. They are building teams with clarity. And they are hiring people who bring value, not just skills.
As Jon-Paul puts it, the shift from passive to active hiring can happen overnight. But the companies winning right now are the ones who saw it coming and planned accordingly. Read Jon-Paul’s full assessment below
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