New data shows the highest-paying and most in-demand jobs in Australia for 2026 – as expert reveals how to safeguard your career from AI

The world’s largest talent company has shared its list of the most in-demand jobs for 2026, but how many of those will be safeguarded in a future run by AI?

Randstad on Tuesday published its lists of the most in-demand jobs that need to be filled as well as the highest paying jobs of the year.

Top of the list for in-demand roles were sales assistants, followed by office clerks and registered nurses.

While only one of the top three spots in the in-demand roles was in the medical field, all three of the best paid jobs were related to medicine.

Those jobs were surgeons with an average salary of $500,000, anaesthetists, who pull in $450,000, and psychiatrists on $350,000.

Professor Rocky Scopelliti, a futurologist, said as AI becomes more common and replaces mundane work, it would still need oversight. That meant skilled professions were the most protected and highly specialised jobs were only likely to grow in value. 

‘AI can make a competent first draft cheap, but that makes the person who can spot a costly mistake more valuable,’ he told the Daily Mail.

Randstad General Manager Madeline Hill said the report showed that customer-facing roles were higher in demand but offered lower income.

‘Human centric roles continue to be an incredibly important part of Australia’s skills economy,’ she said.

‘Sales workers, in particular, are essential for businesses to help them grow, stay connected to customers and deliver the products and services that consumers need. It is no wonder they remain a critical part of the jobs market across the country.

‘Communication, organisation and people skills are incredibly valuable in the workplace and sales staff need all three.’

However, both lists are expected to drastically shift in the coming years as artificial intelligence continues to grow in popularity.

The need for skilled trade occupations – including construction managers, electricians, metal fitters and machinists – is expected to rise to accommodate the growing number of data centres needed to run AI.

‘The data centre boom is creating huge demand for the infrastructure that drives and supports tomorrow’s technology solutions and these data centres require a lot of skilled tradespeople to build them,’ Ms Hill said.

Other professions related to AI are also expected to become high-demand. 

‘While surgeons rank the highest paid professionals, we expect to see data scientists rise through the ranks for demand and pay, as high growth sectors like AI, tech, banks and telcos rely on these specialists for business growth,’ said Ms Hill.

‘These professionals have large room for salary growth and lucrative career opportunities with senior roles paying above $200,000 a year.’

Professor Scopelliti told the Daily Mail that while AI would have a huge impact on the workforce, it was unlikely to fully replace a human’s touch.

‘Look at what happens when the standard answer is wrong,’ he said.

‘AI can draft a care plan, but a nurse at the bedside may be the first to notice that the patient is deteriorating. It can estimate the cost of a building job but someone has to inspect the site and decide whether it’s safe to proceed. 

‘In both cases, AI changes the work. The judgement that matters most comes when the situation departs from the script.’

As for what jobs would likely be safest in an AI-filled future? Shane Oliver, the Chief Economist at AMP, pointed towards manual labour roles.

‘A lot of the roles being threatened in every area are those of white collar workers,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘We’ll still have jobs for tradies. If anything, as people get richer, there could be more demand as people seek to renovate their homes and so on. 

‘All of the digging that was going to be replaced by machines has already been replaced by machines. You’ve got heavy machinery to dig the holes but you still need labourers on construction sites.’ 

Both experts also highlighted potential growth in both demand and pay for the medical sector.  

‘Healthcare will remain in strong demand, simply because we’ve got an ageing population,’ Mr Oliver said.

‘As wealth levels rise, it will lead to more demand for quality healthcare.

‘By the same token, healthcare workers will still be in very strong demand alongside skilled trades and field technicians.’

Professor Scopelliti noted that those with experience in specialised fields would likely be more sought out and receive higher pay.

Similarly high-stakes positions that require expertise, like project management for major infrastructure projects and cyber security, would be worth more.

‘The premium won’t go to whoever can generate the most answers. It will go to the people trusted to make the call when the answers conflict,’ he said. 

He estimated that salaries for established medical specialists would be between $250,000 and $500,000 while project directors and cyber security executives would be between $200,000 and $350,000. 

As for what jobs could be under threat from AI, both Mr Oliver and Professor Scopelliti flagged administrative work, customer service call centres, routine commercial work and processing.

Those already in the workforce looking to safeguard their positions were urged to focus on unique skills and building experience.

‘Looking at IT example, if you’re a junior programmer then you want to upskill yourself really quickly. You don’t want to stay a junior programmer for too long,’ Mr Oliver said.

‘If you can make that transition up the ladder quickly then you’ve probably got a secure job. If you’re an AI expert, then you’ll be in very strong demand.’

Professor Scopelliti suggested Aussies ‘pick one task you already understand and use AI to improve it’.

‘An apprentice can compare an AI-generated materials list against the plans and supplier specifications. An office worker can use AI to draft a customer response, then check whether the policy supports it and whether the promised action actually happened,’ he said.

‘Don’t tell an employer you know how to prompt AI. Show them where it got something wrong, how you caught it and what you did next.’

Overall, the most secure and best paying jobs would belong to those who know how to use AI for basic solutions but have the knowledge for specialised situations.

‘The skill is knowing when a good-sounding answer is good enough to act on – and when you need to stop and check,’ Professor Scopelliti said.

‘Creativity is what you do when the standard answer doesn’t fit the person in front of you.’