ACA Pulse Check 2026 – National key findings
Now in its eighth edition, the Pulse Check Survey has become one of the ACA’s most valuable tools, providing a clear picture of the health of architectural practice and practitioners across Australia and shaping our priorities for the year ahead. The 2026 Pulse Check ran from 24 March to 9 April and was completed by 270 practices across all states and territories, collectively employing an estimated 5,000 staff.
PARTICIPATION SNAPSHOT
Victoria led participation with 85 respondents (32%), followed by New South Wales with 70 (26%) and Queensland with 50 (19%). Western Australia and South Australia contributed 28 (11%) and 26 (10%) responses respectively, with the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania accounting for the remainder. The responding practices were predominantly city-based (86%) and well-established, with nearly half (49%) having operated for 21 years or more. Smaller practices were strongly represented, with 45% employing between one and five people.
Thanks to all who took the time to participate and share their experiences and observations.
A state-specific snapshot is available:
WHAT REALLY STOOD OUT FOR US
The latest ACA Pulse Check captures a profession that remains active and committed, but is increasingly feeling the impact of an uncertain world. Global instability, economic volatility and shifting market conditions are beginning to shape the day-to-day reality of architectural practice in Australia.
While the profession is not in crisis, the pressure is clearly building. Some practices continue to perform strongly, buoyed by scale or sectoral positioning. Others are contending with declining revenue, a weakened pipeline and intensifying competition for fewer opportunities.
FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM ACROSS AUSTRALIA
1. Revenue is under pressure, but the overall picture is uneven
54% of participating practices reported a revenue decline in the past six months (18% significant, 25% moderate). Yet 28% saw revenue grow and 14% held steady. Practices are not experiencing a uniform downturn; the divide between those with a solid pipeline and those in survival mode is widening.
2. Cost escalation is the defining challenge of 2026
72% of practices rate cost escalation as a high or very high concern and nominate it as the single most significant challenge in practice. Regulatory complexity (59% high/very high) and delayed projects (50% high/very high) compound the pressure. These are structural failures in the construction and procurement system, not temporary conditions.
3. Workforces are in flux, with both hiring and redundancies happening simultaneously
65% of practices experienced staff changes in the past year. 76% of redundancies were driven by insufficient work. At the same time, 42% of practices report difficulty finding staff, and as in 2025, the shortage is most pronounced at the experienced end of the profession. The profession is caught in a challenging situation, with oversupply in some areas and acute shortage in others.
4. Wellbeing is broadly stable, but directors are carrying too much
65% rate overall practice wellbeing as good or very good. But practice directors record significantly worse wellbeing (29% slightly/very worrying vs 10% for employees overall) – carrying the pressures of financial risk, professional liability, business development and delivery. Flexible work is near-universal.
5. AI adoption is common, but AI governance is still catching up
70% of practices now use AI occasionally, regularly or have it integrated. LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) dominate (80% of AI users), primarily for written communications (76%) and marketing/proposals (56%). Yet 68% have no formal AI policy. Accuracy/reliability (62%) and data security (42%) remain the most cited barriers.
WORKFORCE COMPOSITION
The 2026 cohort is largely small, long-established, city-based firms working predominantly in architecture for private clients across the residential and education sectors. The workforce within these practices is similarly concentrated – architect-led, experienced, and heavily weighted toward full-time employment.
- Small and established – 45% of practices employ 1–5 people; 81% fewer than 20. Nearly half have operated for more than 21 years; only 8% are under five years old.
- Predominantly city-based – 86% of practices are metropolitan, with 19% maintaining a regional presence.
- Registered architects dominate the workforce – 1,640 are employed full-time across responding practices. 57% of practices employ three or fewer, confirming the prevalence of small, architect-led firms.
- Graduates form a substantial second cohort. 745 full-time graduates are employed across 154 practices, with a further 83 working part-time.
- Part-time work is most common in administration. Business and support staff have the highest rate of part-time employment across the sector.
- Students follow a placement model. Most are employed full-time or casually, consistent with architecture school arrangements.
- Contract employment remains modest. Only 13 practices employ contract registered architects, and 11 employ contract technical staff.
The graduate and student numbers deserve particular attention. With 745 full-time graduates employed across 154 practices, and a further 83 part-time, the profession is actively training the next generation. But it is doing so under conditions of revenue uncertainty, fee compression and workload volatility that make sustained mentorship genuinely difficult.
STAFFING
Nearly two-thirds of practices experienced staff changes in the past 12 months. Hiring was modest and selective, and redundancies were driven overwhelmingly by insufficient work. Most practices continue to keep their work onshore, though a small cohort is offshoring production-heavy tasks – a trend that draws strong opposition from within the profession.
Hiring
- 65% of practices had staff changes in the past 12 months; 43% faced difficulty finding staff
- Demand was strongest for mid-career and experienced practitioners; graduate hiring was also active, with 68 new graduate hires recorded
- Most practices hired 1–3 people
- As per the 2025 survey, finding strong registered architects remains a persistent challenge, even where practices offered competitive salaries
Departures and redundancies
- Insufficient work drove 76% of redundancies
- The reason for resignations was most often attributed to a shift in direction (49%), salary (21%), career progression (32%) and relocation (20%)
- 16% of departing staff were leaving the profession entirely
Outsourcing and offshoring
- 83% of practices do not outsource or offshore any work
- Where offshoring occurs, it is concentrated in documentation and drafting (55%), 3D visualisation (26%) and BIM modelling (21%)
- Sentiment among respondents is strongly opposed to offshoring, with concerns raised about its impact on fees, skills and the viability of Australian practice
“Offshoring is a real danger to Australian practice – reducing our fee and skill base. Very opposed to it.” – 2026 respondent, Q18
WELLBEING IN PRACTICE
The survey suggests staff wellbeing is broadly stable but points to growing pressure on directors, where workload volatility and financial anxiety are taking a real toll. Flexible work arrangements are near-universal.
- 65% of respondents rate overall practice wellbeing as good or very good, with 14% rating it as worrying.
- Directors and senior management are the most at-risk group, with 29% rating their wellbeing as worrying – nearly three times the employee rate of 10%.
- Employees juggling additional commitments outside work report noticeably lower wellbeing, with 20% rating it as worrying and 56% rating it as good or very good.
- Younger employees sit close to the overall average, with 61% rating their wellbeing as good or very good and 11% as worrying.
“Being in practice is stressful. Construction is complicated and stressful. Responsibility for specialist consultants’ work is stressful. Constantly having to win the next job is stressful. Managing a ‘neutral’ outcome is in fact good. A supportive, collaborative environment is key to this.” — 2026 respondent, Q21
Workload and overtime
- 31% report regular overtime beyond contracted hours, while 54% report rare overtime, and 15% say it never occurs
- Weekend work occurs rarely for 41% of practices and more regularly for 21% of practices; 38% say it never happens
- Burnout or stress reports: 87% say this occurs rarely or never
- Sick leave related to wellbeing: 90% say this occurs rarely or never
Flexible working arrangements
- Remote work is offered to all staff by 56% of practices, and to some staff by 36%
- Flexible hours are available to all staff in 74% of practices
- Four-day weeks are offered to some or all staff by 61% of practices, while 39% do not off this arrangement
- Nine-day fortnights are offered to some or all staff by 48% of practices, with 52% not offering this arrangement
- 75% manage flexible/hybrid arrangements on an individual basis
Formal wellbeing support
- 78% of practices offer flexible work as their primary wellbeing measure
- 43% run shared company activities supporting wellbeing
- 35% conduct regular wellbeing check-ins separate from project-based contact
- Only 26% provide an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
REVENUE
- 55% practices report that revenue has dropped over the past six months
- 18% experienced a significant revenue decrease (>30%)
- 25% experienced a moderate decrease (10–30%); 13% a minor decrease
- 14% reported no change; 31% experienced revenue growth
“There is more and more competition for less and less work. The complexity, level of responsibility and risk/QA management with everything we do is draining, and thankless. Financial challenges are worrying.” — 2026 respondent, Q38
Pipeline of work
- 7% have very little or no work right now
- 20% have just 1–2 months of pipeline
- 33% have 3–5 months of work; 22% have 6 months; 18% have more than 6 months
“The pipeline is an ever-shifting landscape. One month it looks great, the next month it looks dire. Very hard to know what to do.” — 2026 respondent, Q32
Current workload level
- 13% describe their current workload as very quiet; 23% as moderately quiet
- 23% describe it as adequate;
- 24% as moderately busy; 17% as very busy
Project cancellations and delays
- 19% of practices had no cancellations, while 81% experienced some
- 15% had 20% of projects cancelled
- Only 7% reported no delays at all; 28% had 20%+ of projects delayed
- Cost escalation was rated high or very high by 72%
“Ongoing cost escalation and uncertainty across the construction sector, impacting project viability and client confidence. Maintaining a steady and predictable pipeline of work in a shifting market while balancing workload within a small team. Pressure on fees and margins, alongside increasing expectations around service, coordination and delivery.” — 2026 respondent, Q38
Payment issues
- 45% of practices say delayed or withheld payments are a problem for their business
- Government clients: only 27% pay with no delay; 18% are 31–60 days late; 12% are 61–90+ days late
- Private clients: only 6% pay with no delay; 34% are 15–30 days late; 23% are 31–60 days late
The compounding pressure of fuel costs
Cost escalation is already the profession’s biggest challenge, and the rising cost of fuel is making it worse. 91% of practices expect some level of disruption – hitting project budgets, supply chains and client confidence. For regional and remote practices, where distances are greater and contractor pools thinner, the pressure is compounding in ways that are difficult to absorb and harder to pass on.
Practices anticipate feeling the impact of rising fuel prices across the following areas:
77%: project costs
65%: supply chain and materials
41%: profitability and margins
39%: staff travel and site visits
32%: client demand
“Remote work already high risk, expensive – fuel price rise will be disastrous.” — 2026 respondent
AI IN PRACTICE
- 58% use AI occasionally for limited tasks, while another 16% are exploring AI tools (informal trials)
- 12% are using AI regularly in defined workflows, while 2% have fully integrated AI in multiple business processes
- 11% are not using AI and have no current plans
- 80% of AI users are using LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Co-Pilot)
Tools and tasks
- LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot): 80% of AI-adopting practices
- Visualisation tools (Veras, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, D5 Render): 36%
- BIM and AI automation: 17%; performance & compliance tools: 5%
- Top tasks: written communications (76%), marketing/proposals (57%), image generation (37%), compliance research (31%), document review (28%)
Impact and governance
- 16% rate AI’s impact as very positive; 53% as slightly positive
- 27% report no noticeable impact; 4% slightly negative; 1% very negative
- 68% have no formal AI policy; 16% have informal guidance only
- 10% have a draft under development; 5% have adopted a formal AI policy
- Only 1% adapted the ACA’s AI HR policy template
“AI is beginning to have a presence in our practice, particularly in supporting administrative tasks, documentation and early-stage research. We see AI as a useful supporting tool rather than a replacement for the core skills and thinking that underpin our work.” — 2026 respondent, Q47
ACA ADVOCACY PRIORITIES AND MEMBER SUPPORT
The profession is clearly calling for structural reform – on fees, contracts, procurement and payment. The value of practical, direct support from the ACA has never been higher, even as awareness of some ACA services remains low (we’re working to address that!).
When asked to identify their top advocacy priorities, respondents were clear about where they need the most support:
- Sustainable fees: 83% high or critical; 40% critical and 43% high
- Fair contracts/risk apportionment: 72% high or critical; 24% critical and 48% high
- Business capability and knowledge: 70% high or critical; 23% critical and 47% high
- Affordable and accessible standards: 66% high or critical; 27% critical and 39% high
- Procurement reform: 58% high or critical; 21% critical and 37% high
- Healthy business practice and cultural change: 54% high or critical; 14% critical and 40% high
- Mental wellbeing: 45% high or critical; 11% critical and 34% high
- Security of payment: 39% high or critical; 13% critical and 26% high
“The increasing imbalance of risk, responsibility and liability within the profession is a key concern, particularly for small practices. Greater advocacy is needed around fair contracts, realistic fee structures, and clearer alignment between scope, responsibility and remuneration.” — 2026 respondent, Q49
ACA resources and priorities
The Pulse Check shows the value of practical, business-focused support, especially as time, margins and certainty tighten.
Members continue to place the highest value on:
- Advocacy and lobbying (61% very valuable)
- Contracts, templates and tools (53%)
- Expert guidance and advice (51%)
At the same time, the survey highlights an important gap. While wellbeing pressures are evident across the data, awareness and uptake of formal support remain low. More than half of respondents (57%) said they were unaware of the ACA Employee Assistance Program (EAP), suggesting that access to support is not the primary issue – visibility and engagement are.
How ACA will use these insights
Your responses continue to directly shape the following ACA priorities:
- Advocacy for sustainable fees and stronger education around the value architects deliver
- Fairer contracts with clearer and more balanced risk allocation
- Practical guidance on hybrid working, wellbeing, and small practice resilience
- Ongoing pressure for procurement reform, fee benchmarking, and improved access to government tenders
- Better promotion of ACA support tools, including the underused and lesser-known EAP program.