Australian Privacy Jobs Quarterly Report – September 2021

Privacy 108’s analysis of Australian privacy jobs advertised in September 2021 is now available.

Main Findings from our Privacy Jobs Report

Main findings (from comparing the September 2021 advertised privacy roles to previous quarters) include:

• The number of advertised jobs has stayed relatively steady for most of this calendar year, indicating a return to normal after dipping significantly in 2020.There were 35 jobs advertised on Seek and Indeed, up from the 33 positions advertised in June 2021, and 34 in March 2021.
• For the first time we looked at jobs advertised on LinkedIn. There were an additional 10 positions on LinkedIn. (These positions have not been included in the comparisons to previous quarters which are all based on Seek and Indeed).
• Many jobs are being re-advertised from one month to the next, perhaps indicating difficulties in filling open positions.
• Most jobs are located in Sydney but with many jobs available on the east coast of Australia indicating a degree of flexibility in terms of location.
• More senior and legal positions were advertised in September 2021, perhaps indicating the rising importance of the privacy role in organisations.
• There is still little consistency in terms of job titles. Of 45 roles advertised (including Linked In) there were 43 different job titles. Lack of consistency in job titles can make it difficult for those looking at entering the profession.
• There was one position that was advertised as an entry-level position.
• Experience is still a key requirement for most positions, with the most common requirement increasing from 3-5 yrs last quarter to 5+ years this quarter. This is consistent with the increase in more senior job titles – including words like “Manager” and “Senior.”
• More ad’s referred to privacy certifications as part of their criteria for candidates, than in previous reports.

Our Analysis

As part of our ongoing research into the state of the Australian privacy profession, Privacy 108 analyses the privacy job market, comparing on-line job adverts quarterly. Job listings provide a useful snapshot into how both private and public sector organisations value privacy, the resources they are willing to commit to developing and managing privacy programs, and to building their privacy maturity.

A list of all positions with ‘privacy’ and/or ‘data protection’ in the title was compiled from jobs advertised on www.seek.com.au and www.indeed.com.au on a selected date in March, June, September December of each quarter. That list was then analysed.

Commencing in August 2021 we have begun taking monthly (rather than quarterly) snapshots. This will help us identify, for instance, jobs that are advertised for more than 30 days.

We are also now including data from Linked In into our analysis. However, for clarity, this report is based solely on the Seek and Indeed data for September. The Linked In data is not included in the number of jobs graph or in other comparative data. However it is included in analysis of total jobs limited to the September 2021 quarter.

From 2022, we will start including LinkedIn data plus findings from monthly comparisons.

Our findings from our analysis of most recent data are summarised in this report for viewing or download.

Previous reports

June 2021 Quarterly Job Trends

Privacy 108

At Privacy 108, we are passionate about privacy and data protection. We work with organisations to ensure they collect, use and secure all information in a way that is both compliant and meets community expectations. Privacy 108 is a law firm. Our team of lawyers can provide specialist legal advice on privacy and security issues.