How to Choose Your Next Job in 2027

# How to Choose Your Next Job in 2027

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Presented by Lightman Wang | Understand what’s changing in Australia’s job market and prepare for your next move while you’re still employed
If your team is restructured next year, which companies and roles would be within reach with the résumé you have today?
Rent, mortgage payments and everyday bills keep coming. When it’s time to change jobs, you’ll want to know which roles you can apply for now, how long it might take to replace your income, and what opportunities your experience could open up. Working that out while you’re still employed gives you time to be selective and build the experience you need.
Lightman will cover the changes worth watching in Australia’s job market in 2027, then help you compare three options. You could move internally, do similar work at a different company, or step into a new role where your existing experience gives you a head start.

## 🔎 What’s changing in Australia’s job market in 2027?

Some teams are shrinking, while employers are still struggling to fill certain roles. Qantas expects organisational changes to affect around 850 roles over the next few years, with the first changes expected in mid-2027. Jobs and Skills Australia’s 2026 figures show that the share of occupations assessed as being in shortage fell nationally from 29% to 27%. Shortages persist in healthcare, early childhood education and some construction trades. When weighing your options, look at what those trends mean for your city, the specific role and the requirements to get hired.
The same job title can come with different day-to-day work. In operations, for example, AI can help organise feedback and draft weekly reports. Someone on the team still has to work out what’s causing the problem, what to fix first and whether the change worked. In November 2026, Reserve Bank of Australia researchers noted that evidence of widespread disruption from AI in Australia’s labour market remained limited. Look at the tasks you do each day and ask which ways of working are changing and which outcomes you’re still responsible for.

## 🧭 Should you move internally, change companies or switch roles?

Start by working out how much take-home pay you need each month and how much time you can set aside for a job search. Then look at where your existing experience would count.

• Look for an internal move. If another team does work you know well, see if you can contribute to a project or ask what it takes to transfer.
• Do similar work at a different company. Find a few ads in your city at your level. Compare responsibilities, pay and contract types, then identify which results from your current work you can talk about in an interview.
• Move into a related role. If you’ve worked in customer support and also handled onboarding, training and issue follow-up, look at customer success or implementation roles. Use real job ads to identify any gaps and see whether you can fill them in your current role.

## 📌 What can you do over the next four weeks while you’re still employed?

• Week 1 — Write down the minimum income you can accept. Find one role you could apply for now and one you’d like to work towards.
• Weeks 2–3 — Pick a project you’ve worked on and document a result that matches a requirement in the job ad. For example, record what the client signed off on or calculate how much time a process change saved your team each week.
• Week 4 — Add that result to your résumé and apply for a few roles that fit, or use it to start a conversation with an internal team. Use the feedback to decide what experience to build next.

## 💻 If you work in tech, how do you choose between AI Engineer and FDE?

Lightman will use these two roles to show how the same approach applies to a technical career move.

• AI Engineer — An Australian Accenture job ad includes building generative AI applications, evaluating their performance, and deploying and maintaining systems. If you’ve worked in backend, full-stack, data or cloud engineering, look at how your experience with integration, testing and deployment matches the role.
• Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) — Alongside engineering, the role involves working directly with customers to clarify requirements, get systems live and track how they perform in practice. OpenAI’s Sydney role asks for at least five years of engineering or technical deployment experience, including customer-facing work. If you’ve worked in technical consulting or implementation, pick a project you took from requirements through to customer sign-off and compare it with the job ad.

Indicative annual base salaries for senior permanent roles in Australia

| City | AI / ML Engineer | Forward Deployed Engineer |
| ---- | ---------------- | ------------------------- |
| Brisbane | A$160,000–A$200,000 | A$160,000–A$215,000 |
| Melbourne | A$175,000–A$210,000 | A$175,000–A$230,000 |
| Sydney | A$180,000–A$220,000 | A$180,000–A$240,000 |

Source — Re:Sourced’s 2026 salary guide. The ranges show the 25th to 75th percentiles of accepted offers for senior permanent roles.

## 👥 Who should attend?

• People working in Australia who want to understand how their industry or role is changing and prepare for their next move.
• Anyone considering a new employer, an internal transfer or a change of direction who wants to work out what they can afford and how much time they’ll need to prepare.
• Engineers, data professionals, consultants and delivery specialists who want to see whether an AI-related role fits their experience.

## 👨‍💻 Speaker

Lightman Wang | Founder of JR Academy

## 🗓️ Event details

• When — 17 November, 8:00–9:00 pm Sydney time
• Format — Free live online webinar

## 🎟️ Bring a job ad you’d like to apply for

Bring a job ad you’ve saved recently and work through it with Lightman. Can you apply for this role now? Which experience should you highlight on your résumé? If there’s a gap, what should you work on first over the next four weeks?
Register for the free webinar