Is Finance a Good Career Path in Australia in 2025?
Key Takeaways
High Job Demand: Australia is currently facing a national shortage of qualified finance professionals, including accountants and financial advisers, making it easier for qualified candidates to find roles.
Competitive Salaries: Finance offers attractive and stable incomes, with even entry-level positions like an Assistant Accountant in Brisbane earning around AU$72,500.
Clear Career Progression: The finance industry provides structured opportunities for advancement, with paths leading to senior roles like CFO or Portfolio Manager earning upwards of AU$200,000.
Essential Skills Required: Success requires a mix of hard skills like financial modeling and analytics, a relevant degree (Finance, Accounting), and crucial soft skills like communication and problem-solving.
With national shortages of finance professionals in Australia and competitive salaries starting at over AU$70,000 for entry-level roles, there has never been a better time to consider a career in finance. But beyond the impressive numbers, what does it really take to succeed in this dynamic industry, and is it the right fit for you?
This guide answers those questions. We’ll cover the current job market, salary expectations, and the essential skills you need to build a stable and rewarding career in finance in 2025.
Job Market Outlook
Let's start by dispelling doubts of any Aussie who is wondering - is finance a good career for the future? Reports from 2024, such as those by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, make a strong case that Australia faces national shortages for accounting positions, financial investment advisers, finance managers, and taxation accountants. So, finding entry-level jobs shouldn’t be difficult, assuming you are qualified.
Beyond Banking: Opportunities in Tech
Beyond traditional roles, your finance skills are in high demand in rapidly expanding tech-driven industries like iGaming. These global companies require robust financial departments to manage everything from international payments to complex regulatory compliance.
Finance professionals in this sector often work in specialised roles, such as:
Transaction Management: Handling high volumes of customer deposits and withdrawals.
Systems Development: Collaborating with tech teams to build and maintain automated payment systems. The financial architecture behind the best fast payout casino in Australia, for example, requires sophisticated expertise to ensure transactions are both fast and secure.
Financial Auditing: iGaming businesses rely on internal and third-party auditors to verify their financial integrity and ensure fair practices, creating even more specialised job opportunities.
Salary and Benefits
You’ll often hear advice that you should pursue jobs you are passionate about. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with such suggestions, you have to factor in stability when picking your career. To that end, we aim to answer is finance a stable career choice? Hopefully, the table below will serve as a neat perspective on what to expect from finance career paths. Specifically, from entry and senior-level positions in terms of salary. The data below is adapted from the Robert Half 2025 Salary Guide and is specific to Brisbane. Salaries can vary based on location, company size, and candidate experience.
Position | Little to no prior experience | Average experience | Highly experienced |
Assistant Accountant | AU$72,500 | AU$77,000 | AU$82,320 |
Accountant | AU$93,600 | AU$106,000 | AU$112,000 |
Senior Accountant | AU$105,000 | AU$116,500 | AU$130,000 |
Bookkeeper | AU$72,000 | AU$82,000 | AU$92,000 |
Corporate Accountant | AU$110,000 | AU$125,000 | AU$142,000 |
Accounts Receivable Officer | AU$69,000 | AU$72,500 | AU$77,000 |
Accounts Receivable Supervisor | AU$77,000 | AU$88,000 | AU$105,000 |
Accounts Receivable Manager | AU$82,000 | AU$98,000 | AU$122,000 |
Tax Accountant | AU$109,000 | AU$111,500 | AU$128,500 |
Senior Tax Accountant | AU$128,500 | AU$137,500 | AU$152,000 |
A career in finance comes with other benefits, such as bonuses, flexible working hours, and lots of opportunities to advance. Given these prospects, many parents might want to nudge their kids to develop an aptitude for these professions. That said, these are high responsibility and high accountability jobs, so by extension they tend to be more stressful.
Required Skills and Education for a Career in Finance
A successful career in finance is built on a strong foundation of formal education, technical expertise, and crucial interpersonal skills. Here’s a breakdown of what you'll need.
Foundational Education
A bachelor's degree is the standard entry point into the finance industry. The most common and relevant fields of study include:
Finance
Accounting
Economics
Business Administration
For those aiming for senior leadership or highly specialized roles, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or other postgraduate qualifications are often necessary.
Essential Hard Skills
These are the technical competencies you'll use in your day-to-day work. Proficiency in these areas is non-negotiable.
Financial Analysis and Modeling: The ability to analyze financial statements and build models to forecast future performance.
Industry Software: Expertise in industry-standard tools like Microsoft Excel is essential, with knowledge of platforms like Bloomberg Terminal, SAP, or specific accounting software being highly valued.
Data Analytics: Skill in interpreting complex data to inform business and investment decisions.
Knowledge of Regulations: A strong understanding of financial regulations and compliance standards.
Crucial Soft Skills
While technical skills get you in the door, soft skills are what drive career advancement.
Communication: The ability to clearly explain complex financial concepts to clients and colleagues.
Problem-Solving: A sharp, analytical mind capable of navigating financial challenges and developing effective strategies.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Finance is rarely a solo endeavor; working effectively within a team is critical.
Attention to Detail: Precision and accuracy are paramount when dealing with financial data.
Building a Sustainable Career
The finance industry is known for being fast-paced and demanding. To build a successful long-term career, it's vital to develop resilience and effective stress-management strategies. Mastering time management and finding a healthy work-life balance are key to preventing burnout and ensuring you can thrive in this challenging yet rewarding field.
Career Growth and Is It the Right Fit for You?
A key advantage of the finance industry is its clear and structured pathway for advancement. Starting in a role like an assistant accountant or loan officer provides meaningful experience that builds a foundation for the future. With a willingness to learn and adapt, promotion is almost guaranteed, with senior paths leading to C-suite jobs like Portfolio Manager or CFO, where salaries can exceed AU$200,000.
But is this high-stakes career the right choice for you? Let’s sum up the pros and cons.
Pros:
Structured working environment with clear responsibilities.
Multiple opportunities for career advancement and professional growth.
Stable income and attractive benefits.
Exposure to strategic decision-making and analytical challenges.
Cons:
High-responsibility roles can be stressful.
Long or unpredictable working hours, sometimes requiring overtime.
Pressure to meet tight deadlines and manage complex financial tasks.
Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you love crunching numbers and want to be a key player in a company’s success, the positives will likely outweigh the negatives. However, if you feel you don't perform well under pressure, there are plenty of other careers where you can shine.
