Accounting Graduate Jobs in Sydney

One of the biggest and fastest growing cities in Australia, Sydney is the financial centre of the country and is home to a number of top 500 companies, as well as a growing number of businesses in the professional and business services sector. The city also boasts the presence of multiple global companies who have headquartered their Asia-Pacific operations in Sydney.

The financial services and business services industries account for 40% of all jobs in the city, making Sydney an attractive option for accounting graduates.

Competitiveness

There is a competitive job market for accounting graduates in Sydney and employers are becoming increasingly selective about choosing candidates for their graduate programmes. Most firms offering accounting graduate roles or programmes will set a minimum standard of an average university grade of 65%.

The profession is, however, set to grow by 13.3% across Australia and professional practice accountants who are digitally literate will be in demand, particularly in Sydney where business activity remains strong.

Currently, over 76% of accounting graduates find full-time employment in the year after graduation.

How to find work

Since employers are becoming more selective about who they employ, and sometimes require graduates to have work experience, an internship can be a good way to gain training and experience that will make you more attractive to prospective employers.

Sydney has a large number of accounting internships at companies including:

• Ernst and Young
• Deloitte
• Aquion
• ACCA
• AMP
• Australian Taxation Office
• Commonwealth Bank
• Dixon Advisory
• GE
• Grant Thornton
• Optus
• BDO Australia

Average graduate salaries

Graduate salaries in Sydney tend to be higher than the national average, with the average graduate in Sydney earning approximately $55,000 annually, compared to the national average of $50,000.

However, living costs in Sydney are generally higher than those of other capital cities in Australia, with Sydney’s cost of living 6% higher than Melbourne's, the second most expensive city.