Business Intelligence: ACA Salary Calculator
What is Business Toolbox data telling us about employment, compliance and workforce planning? We unpack some of the data drawn from the ACA Salary Calculator to identify some broad trends.
Every salary calculation in the ACA Salary Calculator contributes to a growing understanding of how architectural practices are managing employment under the Architects Award.
Originally developed as a practical compliance tool, the Salary Calculator is now providing valuable insights into how practices structure salaries, accommodate flexible work arrangements and navigate Award obligations.
With more than 3700 salary calculations completed since launch and 704 member logins recorded over the past 12 months alone, the Salary Calculator has become one of the ACA’s most widely used business resources.
What the data is telling us
The data shows us that member practices are not simply checking minimum Award pay rates when using the Salary Calculator. Instead, members are using the Salary Calculator to model annual salaries, part-time arrangements, fortnightly pay structures and a wide range of employment scenarios before making employment decisions.
This reflects the reality of contemporary architectural practice, where employers are balancing flexibility, employee expectations and Award compliance.
The Salary Calculator has become a planning tool – helping practices understand the employment implications of different working arrangements before offers are made.
Note: We have temporarily removed the weekly and fortnightly figures from the Calculator. Recent case law has clarified that award entitlements must be satisfied within each pay period rather than averaged across the year, and these figures were averaged. The Salary Calculator’s annual figures are unaffected.
Flexible work is now business as usual
One of the strongest trends emerging from the data is the diversity of working arrangements being modelled.
The average working week entered into the Salary Calculator is 32.6 hours, with members modelling arrangements ranging from 21 to 40 hours per week.
This suggests practices are considering more part-time, flexible and negotiated employment arrangements.
The data reinforces what many employers are already experiencing: flexibility has become a core feature of the architectural workforce rather than the exception.
Compliance is driving usage
The Salary Calculator is increasingly being used as a compliance tool.
Members are using it to verify that agreed salaries satisfy the requirements of the Architects Award, particularly where hours differ from standard full-time employment.
Rather than manually interpreting Award provisions, practices are using the tool to provide greater confidence that employment offers remain compliant while reflecting the practical realities of modern practice.
This not only reduces administrative burden but also helps minimise the risk of inadvertent Award breaches.
Growing engagement
The Salary Calculator continues to see strong member engagement, with 704 member logins recorded over the past year.
The continued growth in usage reflects members’ confidence in the tool as a trusted resource for workforce planning and Award compliance.
Building better workforce intelligence
While the Salary Calculator was designed to support individual employment decisions, the anonymised data is also helping build a clearer picture of employment trends across the profession.
Combined with the ACA Salary Survey, Pulse Check and Time Cost Calculator Guide, these insights are strengthening the ACA’s evidence base when advocating on behalf of members with government, regulators and industry stakeholders.
Also see Business Intelligence: Time Cost Calculator Guide.