2025 Business Support Salary Guide

We understand how important business support teams are as the backbone of every organisation. They are often the first people to greet your customers when they walk into your office, or they work tirelessly behind-the-scenes to ensure your business runs efficiently.

That’s why we have curated the 2025 Robert Half Business Support Salary Guide to empower you with the knowledge and confidence to make the right employment decisions. Whether you're a hiring manager looking to attract top talent or a jobseeker hoping to find the perfect role, this guide provides valuable insights and Australian salary benchmarks based on Robert Half’s placement data to help the decision-making process.

With the return to office in full swing and market sentiment improving, hiring intentions for business support employees remain steady with 64% of business leaders planning to maintain their permanent headcount by backfilling vacated positions while 47% plan to do the same with contractors. But we know finding the right business support talent can be challenging. To help you in your search, we've outlined the key skills and qualities that businesses are looking for right now.

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Enter your city to localise national average salaries. Starting salaries can vary greatly depending on a professional’s skills and experience, company size and demand for the role.

Customer Service & Sales

Administration

Project Support

Senior Administration

Position title

25th percentile

50th percentile

75th percentile

Customer Service Representative / Officer

59000

64000

69000

Customer Service Team Leader

75500

82000

89000

Customer Service Manager

90500

104500

119000

25th percentile

The candidate has little or no prior experience in the position and is still developing relevant skills.

50th percentile

The candidate has an average level of experience and has most of the necessary skills.

75th percentile

The candidate has above-average experience, has most or all the necessary skills and may have specialised qualifications.

Salary range based on three percentiles The starting salaries represent gross yearly salaries. They do not include bonuses, benefits or superannuation.

Business support market update

Executive assistants, office managers and administrative assistants are most in demand, with professional and financial services, not-for-profit and healthcare being the sectors hiring the most. Candidates with ERP systems, CRM and Microsoft 365 experience are most likely to pique the interest of potential employers.

Business leaders recognise the imminent need to upskill their business support staff to use artificial intelligence to help streamline processes and enhance efficiencies with scheduling, email management, data entry, customer service interactions and generating reports. Workers with AI literacy skills are highly sought after and businesses who embrace AI for administrative functions gain a competitive edge through increased productivity and innovation.

of business support employees say they never use or don’t often use generative AI tools of business support employees say they never use or don’t often use generative AI tools

of employers are already planning to upskill their admin talent via internal training programs of employers are already planning to upskill their admin talent via internal training programs

The volatile hiring market has led to a shift in priorities for many jobseekers. While 21% of business support employees are still focused on securing the best possible compensation package to keep pace with rising inflation, 42% are prioritising job security over higher salaries. This difference in priorities highlights there is no one-size-fits-all for candidates, yet companies need to continue to pay current market rates to secure talented business support roles.

of businesses say merit, and meeting and exceeding performance goals is the single biggest factor influencing their decision to increase business support salaries of businesses say merit, and meeting and exceeding performance goals is the single biggest factor influencing their decision to increase business support salaries

of business support employees say job security and salary are equally important of business support employees say job security and salary are equally important

Business support staff understand that being in the office most of the week is essential to their role and the company's success. Flexible working arrangements, however, such as ad hoc late starts and early finishes are highly sought after by candidates and are a big pull factor to an organisation. Businesses who can cater to this in-demand perk put themselves in a strong position to secure their preferred talent.

of business support employees plan to ask for flexible work arrangements in 2025 of business support employees plan to ask for flexible work arrangements in 2025

of employers already offer flexible work arrangements of employers already offer flexible work arrangements

In-demand business support roles

Executive Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Customer Service Representative

Company Secretary / Governance

Office Coordinator / Manager

Receptionist

Functional areas within business support in which companies are most likely to hire

Customer service

Administrative

Data entry

Procurement

In-demand technical skills in business support

Microsoft 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)

Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides)

CRM (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, etc.)

ERP systems (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, etc.)

In-demand soft skills in business support

Attention to detail

Prioritisation

Adaptability

Sense of initiative

Collaboration skills

Communication skills

Positive attitude

Organisational skills

How much should I earn or pay?

Top industries hiring for business support specialists

Professional services

Not-for-profit

Healthcare and social assistance

Aged care

Financial services

Education

We know talent, and we're here to help

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Hiring managers: Need more insights? Schedule a Salary Guide walk-through

The salaries listed in the Salary Guide from Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across Australia as well as third-party job posting data that we use to independently validate the salary ranges.

The salaries listed in the salary tables represent gross yearly salaries. They do not include bonuses, benefits or superannuation. We report salaries in three percentiles, recognising that professionals join companies at varied experience levels.

The non-salary data presented in this Salary Guide is derived from an online survey conducted by an independent research firm commissioned by Robert Half in November 2024. The survey gathered responses from 500 hiring managers and 1,000 full-time office workers in finance, accounting, business support, and IT and technology. Respondents are drawn from a sample of SMEs to large private, publicly-listed and public sector organisations across Australia.