Residential Construction

From Sales to Site: What’s Driving Salary Shifts in Residential Construction?

After 15 years operating in Victoria’s residential construction industry and holding tens of thousands of one-on-one career conversations,  we’ve developed a deep, ground-level understanding of the market.

Drawing from the insights of these conversations, we’ve compiled base salary data across the past four financial years, highlighting not just what people are earning, but why those figures are shifting.

Unlike broad salary survey results, this is a snapshot of an industry in motion direct from the source.

• Designers/Product Development specialists have seen the strongest growth, up 35% since FY 2021-2022, seemingly driven by NCC22 and the need for stronger design compliance and documentation.
• Site Supervisors are now averaging $122.2k, with increased responsibility, portfolio size, and complexity elevating the value of experienced leaders on site.
• Sales Consultant base salaries have dipped slightly over the past four years, influenced by declining housing affordability for owner-occupiers and a slowdown in first-home buyer activity. While display home retail remains a key part of the market, reduced owner-occupier demand has placed downward pressure on salaries in this space.
• BDM/Wholesale Sales salaries have trended upward, in line with the growing share of new home construction driven by wholesale and investment-led channels. As builders increasingly prioritise volume and scalability, salaries in this space have strengthened accordingly.
• Estimators remain a stable, high-value hire with minor year-to-year variations linked to hiring urgency and candidate mix.
• Client Liaison/Customer Service/Building Coordinator/Contract Admin/Client Relationship/etc. salaries have continued to grow, reflecting larger portfolios and rising client expectations, similar to trends seen in site supervision.

Every part of the market demands different skill sets. If you’re after insights more specific to your space, whether custom, volume, multi-unit, knockdown-rebuild, wholesale, or beyond, we’re always happy to have the conversation. Just reply to this email and we’ll be in touch.

Please note: The average salary figures provided below exclude superannuation, commissions/bonuses, and car allowances.