Canberra Jobs 2026, Employment Guide, Top Industries and Where to Find Work in Canberra

Jobs in Canberra 2026, Overview

Canberra's job market is uniquely defined by the Australian Federal Government, which is by far the city's largest employer. The Australian Public Service (APS) employs tens of thousands of Canberrans across dozens of departments and agencies headquartered in the national capital. Canberra also has a growing defence, intelligence, cybersecurity, education and technology sector, with the Australian Signals Directorate and a growing cluster of defence technology companies attracted by proximity to government. The result is that Canberra has consistently recorded Australia's lowest unemployment rate and highest average household income of any capital city.

Canberra's Top Industries and Employers

• Australian Federal Government, Departments of Finance, Treasury, Home Affairs, Defence, Health, Education, Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and major agencies including the ATO, Services Australia, NDIS, ASIO, the AFP and the ABC are among the largest Canberra employers.
• Defence and intelligence, The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), Defence Intelligence Organisation, Defence Science and Technology Group (DST) and the Department of Defence employ large numbers of Canberra residents in intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering and policy roles.
• Education, The Australian National University (ANU), University of Canberra (UC), the Australian Catholic University and a network of elite private schools and public ACT schools are major Canberra employers.
• Healthcare, Canberra Hospital (Canberra Health Services), the National Capital Private Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital Bruce provide healthcare employment.
• Technology and defence industry, IBM, EY, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, BAE Systems, Leidos, Thales and Lockheed Martin have significant Canberra presences serving government and defence clients.

Average Salaries in Canberra 2026

Canberra records Australia's highest average weekly earnings of any capital city, driven by the high proportion of government professional roles. APS salaries vary by level, APS 1-3 (entry) from approximately $56,000; APS 4-6 (professional) $70,000-$100,000; EL 1-2 (executive) $110,000-$160,000; SES (senior executive) $200,000-$400,000+. Salary packages often include generous superannuation contributions and leave entitlements.

Where to Find Jobs in Canberra

• APSJobs.gov.au, apsjobs.gov.au, the official APS jobs board; all government roles are advertised here.
• Seek.com.au, Private sector and ACT Government roles.
• ACT Government Jobs, jobs.act.gov.au for ACT public service positions.
• LinkedIn, Defence industry, technology and consulting roles.

This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.