Jobs in Adelaide

Key Industries

• Defence & Advanced Manufacturing: ASC (submarines), Saab, BAE Systems — centred around Osborne and Edinburgh Parks.
• Health & Aged Care: SA's largest employer. Major hospitals: RAH, Flinders Medical Centre, Women's and Children's.
• Wine & Agribusiness: Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley employ thousands in viticulture, logistics, and tourism.
• Education: Three major universities (University of Adelaide, Flinders, UniSA) plus many private colleges.
• Technology: Growing startup scene in Lot Fourteen (innovation district on North Terrace).
• Tourism & Hospitality: Major demand for chefs, hotel staff, and tour guides — especially during festival season.

Job Portals

• Seek (seek.com.au): The biggest Australian job board.
• Indeed: Aggregates from many sources.
• LinkedIn: Professional roles and networking.
• SA Government Jobs (iworkfor.sa.gov.au): Public sector roles.

Salary Expectations

• Average full-time salary in SA: ~$75,000–$85,000
• Registered nurse: $70,000–$95,000
• Software developer: $90,000–$130,000
• Hospitality (casual): $25–$35/hour
• Minimum wage (2026): $24.10/hour

Superannuation (super) is paid by employers at 11.5% of your salary on top of your base pay.

The 2026 Job Market at a Glance

South Australia’s unemployment rate sits around 4.5%, close to the national average, and the state is in the middle of its biggest industrial transformation in decades. The anchor is defence: the AUKUS submarine program at Osborne and the wider naval shipbuilding effort support tens of thousands of direct and supply-chain jobs, with a skills shortage in engineering, project management, and advanced manufacturing. ASC, BAE Systems, Saab, and Lockheed Martin all recruit heavily in Adelaide.

Health and aged care remains the state’s largest employer — the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital employ thousands, and nursing and allied-health roles are chronically in demand. The Lot Fourteen innovation precinct on North Terrace has turned the city into a genuine tech hub, with space, defence-tech, and software startups hiring developers at $90,000–$130,000.

Salaries That Matter (2026)

• Average full-time salary (SA): $75,000–$85,000
• Registered nurse: $70,000–$95,000
• Software developer: $90,000–$130,000
• Engineer (defence/manufacturing): $95,000–$140,000
• Teacher: $75,000–$110,000
• Hospitality casual: $25–$35/hour; minimum wage $24.10/hour
• Superannuation: 11.5% paid by the employer on top of salary

How to Land a Job

For professional roles, SEEK and LinkedIn dominate; for government and defence, apply directly on iworkfor.sa.gov.au and the defence primes’ career portals — many defence roles require (or prefer) Australian citizenship and a security clearance, so start the clearance paperwork early. Adelaide’s job market is relationship-driven: join industry bodies, attend Lot Fourteen events and startup meetups, and use recruiters like Hays and Randstad for contract roles.

If you are arriving on a skilled visa, have your qualifications assessed before you land and line up registration (nurses, teachers, and trades all need state registration). Casual and hospitality work is easy to find during festival season (February–March) when the city adds thousands of short-term jobs.

Industries to Watch

Beyond defence and health, three sectors are hiring hard in 2026. Renewable energy: SA already runs on more than 70% renewable electricity, and the switch to green hydrogen at Whyalla and the new transmission links are creating engineering and trades jobs. Space: Adelaide is the headquarters of the Australian Space Agency, and Lot Fourteen is home to a growing cluster of space-tech startups. Aged care and disability support: the NDIS and an ageing population mean constant demand for support workers, with roles starting around $32–$38 an hour.

For students and graduates, the University of Adelaide, UniSA, and Flinders all run internship programs with local employers, and the defence primes recruit graduates directly through their own programs — apply in the first half of the year for roles starting the following January.

Working Rights and Conditions

All employees in SA are covered by the national workplace system: the minimum wage is $24.10/hour (2026), casual workers get a 25% loading on top, and penalty rates apply for weekends and public holidays. Superannuation is paid by employers at 11.5% of your salary. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides free advice, and WorkSafe SA covers workplace safety.

For visa holders, check your work conditions carefully: student visas allow 48 hours per fortnight during study, working holiday visas allow six months with any one employer, and skilled visas usually carry no work restrictions. Keep payslips and check your super is being paid — it’s your money, building for retirement from day one. Union membership is also common in health, education, and manufacturing — unions negotiate enterprise agreements that set most pay rates above the minimum.