Why Australian Labour Costs Keep Climbing
Australian labour costs have kept moving. Following the Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2026, minimum award wages rose 4.75 per cent from 1 July 2026, and the National Minimum Wage increased to $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week. That followed a 3.5 per cent increase the year before.
Wages across the wider workforce are tracking too. The ABS Wage Price Index is the place to check the current rate of change. For many small and mid-size businesses, payroll is the single biggest line item and the one that moves every July.
Calculating Your Virtual Assistant Cost Savings
A skilled offshore VA placed through Digitek Outsourcing averages AU $1,800–$2,400 per month (depending on hours and skill set). Stack that against AU $66 k + 20 % on-costs for a local hire and you’re looking at:
| Cost Component | Local Admin (AU$) | VA via Digitek (AU$) |
| Base salary / fee | 66,000 | 26,000 |
| Super / payroll tax | 7,260 | N/A |
| Paid leave | 5,780 | N/A |
| Desk, computer, utilities | 3,000 | N/A |
| Annual total | ~82,000 | ~26,000 |
On these figures, the offshore option works out around 68 per cent lower over a year. That is one worked example rather than a promise. Your own figure depends on the role, the hours, the salary you would pay locally and what you already spend on equipment and space, so it is worth running the numbers on your actual costs rather than ours.
Four Ways a VA Reduces Expenses Beyond Salary
- Pay-as-you-go hours – Scale a VA from 10 hrs/week to full-time with zero recruitment fees when workloads shift.
- No office overhead – Forget rent, equipment, consumables and utility costs.
- Reduced churn – Digitek’s dual-round screening and cultural fit checks cut replacement costs.
- Process efficiency – Documented SOPs plus time-zone coverage mean faster ticket resolution and fewer overtime penalties.
Together, these factors make a virtual assistant to reduce expenses an obvious move for growth-minded SMEs.
From Savings to Momentum: Virtual Assistant for Business Growth
Lower overhead is just step one. Clients who pocket the VA cost savings often reinvest in:
- 24/7 customer support to raise satisfaction scores
- SEO campaigns that compound leads quarter after quarter
- Product development without tapping cash reserves
Want the strategic view? See our guide on how VAs scale small businesses for real-world ROI examples.
Capture Your Savings with Digitek
Digitek offers three flexible hiring paths:
- Managed Virtual Assistants – hands-off recruitment, HR and daily supervision handled for you.
- Employer of Record – we become the legal employer and handle the contract, payroll and statutory contributions, while you manage the work.
- Direct VA Recruitment – we source and vet talent; you manage them in-house.
All three start with a conversation about the role, so you have a total monthly figure before you commit. For the detail on what the Employer of Record model involves, including who legally employs the person, see our guide to Employer of Record vs PEO vs contractor, and our breakdown of what Australian employers pay for in the Philippines.
External resources for deeper diligence
Wage benchmarks: PayScale AU Administrative Assistant Pay
Salary trends: ABS Wage Price Index
Bottom line: Rising wages don’t have to squeeze your margins. Leverage a virtual assistant to reduce expenses today and free up capital for the initiatives that drive real business growth.
