Home Machine Learning Engineer Salary
Machine Learning Engineer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a machine learning engineer is $127,400 per annum, before tax, up $26,800 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay moves most with how close the role sits to revenue, so a machine learning engineer in a trading, advertising or product team generally earns more than one working on internal tools or in the public sector.
- Experience with large-scale cloud platforms and a track record of getting prediction systems running in production also lift offers, and contract work carries a premium for the same reason.
- Seniority separates earnings more than job title does, because the gap between a mid-level engineer and a staff engineer is wide.
The median salary rose by $26,800 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than machine learning engineer
The largest typical pay rise is $20,800 a year, moving into Quantitative Analyst.
- Quantitative Analyst+$20,800/yr
- Quantitative Trader+$20,800/yr
- Software Engineer+$4,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher machine learning engineer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time machine learning engineer salary is $127,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Machine learning and Data analysis tend to command a premium over general machine learning engineer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Quantitative Analyst pays a typical $20,800 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Machine Learning Engineer salary questions
How much do machine learning engineers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a machine learning engineer is $127,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is machine learning engineer pay rising or falling?
The median machine learning engineer salary is up $26,800 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than machine learning engineer?
Quantitative Analyst pays a typical $20,800 a year more and draws on similar skills to machine learning engineer.
Related salaries
- Software Engineer salary
- Quantitative Analyst salary
- Quantitative Trader salary
- Data Scientist salary
- Data Engineer salary
- Statistician salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.