"What's the market like?" Here's the answer to the #1 question I get asked

If you’ve asked me “What’s the market like?” you’re not alone.

It’s the #1 question I get from:

• Hiring Managers

• Data & AI Leaders

• IT Managers

• Job Seekers

• Other Recruiters

• Curious Onlookers

Why do they ask?

They want to hear the trends in Perth across data, analytics and AI from someone who is on the frontlines.

Why me?

I interact regularly with job seekers and hiring teams. Hiring often reflects larger macro movements in the 'Data & AI Economy'. Each week I speak with decision-makers in data who are deciding what to do about AI, which cloud platform to migrate to and where they should allocate their capital expenditure.

So, what are the trends shaping Q3 2025?

In data, analytics & AI Perth

50% of Role Briefs We Take Are Brand New

A trickle-down from the AI-boom is not companies hiring AI roles but more of a general focus on data, especially from the executive level. Hiring Managers are getting more budgets for full-time positions in their teams. These aren't just “backfills dressed up as new” either. We’re talking genuinely new roles from Data Analysts and Principal Consultants to even a cheeky QA Engineer (watch out DR Analytics Recruitment is playing in the software space!)

This is a very positive sign of steady industry growth. A lot of these roles you won't see advertised as they're often given to us exclusively to hire.

AI Hype is Being Tackled with 'Power Platform & AI Automation'

In theory, you'd think we’d be seeing “AI Engineers” or "Prompt Engineers" popping up everywhere by now, but we’re not.

Instead, we’re hearing about AI & Automation roles emerging ahead of FY 2026. Or "Data & AI Analysts" where Data Analysts are asked to take responsibility for some AI initiatives.

These aren’t hardcore R&D ML gigs where you're asked to build the next ChatGPT. They’re more like Automation Specialists who are AI-enabled, often working with Power Platform and low-code tools to streamline operations.

In all honesty, it makes perfect sense because companies shouldn't be developing their own AI tools, but leveraging those that are on the market (IMO).

Battle of the Cloud Platforms

Microsoft is pushing Fabric HARD.

Snowflake and Databricks are still neck and neck, but I’m seeing more Azure Databricks → Fabric migrations especially in:

• Government

• Not-for-profits

• Tertiary Education

(where there are large discounts provided)

Private businesses are a little more cautious with the costs and completeness of Fabric in question. What Fabric does have going for it is the interoperability with existing Microsoft products and the promise of future development e.g. it may not be perfect now, but it will be in the future.

Perth being a Microsoft town, it's a compelling argument!

Contractor Market: Heating Up (particularly for migrations)

If you’re a contractor with migration experience - congrats, you’re hot property.

Whether it’s Databricks to Fabric, SQL Server to Snowflake, or wrangling legacy spaghetti into something modern, demand is up.

(Reason I'm guessing is to prep for AI capability - starts with data availability and quality).

Trickle Down From The 'AI Boom' = Companies Hiring their first Data Person

This one’s exciting. We’re working with several clients hiring their very first data person because of the AI hype (usually a Data Analyst).

This tells us AI hype is doing something useful: it’s forcing leadership teams to look at their data maturity. Before you can implement LLMs or GenAI you need clean and accessible data... and someone to help make sense of it all.

Hiring Cycles Slow at Manager & Senior Levels

This one’s a bit of a knock-on effect from the middle management layoffs we saw last year (and some more recently) in the mining sector and other traditional industries. Some orgs are running leaner with more staff on the tools rather than managing. Perth's small so there's less movement for senior roles anyway and this is exacerbated by redundancies.

Wrapping Up

So, what’s the market like? Always changing.

GenAI summary image for the TL;DR crowd

DR Analytics Recruitment

I'm Douglas - former data analyst and Founder of DR Analytics Recruitment. We're putting people first by building a community that connects top data and technology talent with the right companies. Our vision is an Australia empowered by data literacy.

Get in touch to learn more!

📧 Email: douglas@analyticsrecruitment.com.au

📞 Phone: +61 430 846 876

🌐 Website: https://www.analyticsrecruitment.com.au