Asking for more.
Even when times are tight.

A genuinely struggling business might have no room to move, but plenty of businesses that talk about "tough conditions" are still profitable, still hiring, and still budgeting for pay reviews. The economic backdrop is real, but it's rarely a blanket reason to stay silent.

• Inflation and cost-of-living pressure are real arguments for a pay conversation, not reasons to avoid one
• A business under genuine pressure can still move on non-cash terms even when cash is tight (see section 06)
• The people who ask, even in a tough year, are the ones who get considered when budget does free up. Silence rarely gets noticed, let alone rewarded

The goal of this guide isn't to pretend the economy doesn't matter. It's to make sure it doesn't talk you out of a conversation you're entitled to have.

"I've been here a while" is not a case. A case is specific, documented, and focused on value delivered, which matters especially when a manager has to justify your rise to someone above them.

Write it down properly before the conversation, as a one-page summary you could hand over if asked, even if you never actually need to.

Walking in with "more" instead of a figure hands the whole negotiation to the other side. Research the market rate for your role and experience level before the conversation, using more than one source:

• Recruitment agency salary guides (Hays, Robert Half and similar publish updated Australian salary data most years)
• Current job ads for similar roles in your industry and location, a genuinely useful real-time signal
• Seek's salary data tools for your specific role and region
• The relevant Modern Award or enterprise agreement rate, as an absolute floor rather than a target: it tells you the legal minimum, not what you're actually worth

Land on a specific figure or range, not a vague "a decent bump." Specificity signals you've done the work, which makes the whole conversation easier to take seriously.

• Shortly after a genuine win, such as landing a client, hitting a target or delivering a project, while the value is fresh and visible
• Ahead of the business's actual budgeting cycle, not after it's already been locked in for the year
• At your scheduled review, if there is one, but don't wait for it if you've got a strong case and a long stretch until the next one

Avoid raising it in the same week as bad news: a round of layoffs, a missed target announcement, a rough board update. Not because you don't deserve to ask, but because timing affects how genuinely it can be heard.

Book a proper, dedicated meeting rather than raising it at the end of an unrelated catch-up. It signals you're serious, and gives your manager time to actually prepare a real answer rather than an off-the-cuff one.

1. State the ask plainly and early: don't bury it in small talk
2. Walk through two or three concrete pieces of evidence from your case
3. Name your figure or range clearly
4. Stop talking. Let them respond before you fill the silence

"Not right now" isn't the same as "no forever," but it's also not an answer to just accept quietly. Push for something concrete before the conversation ends:

• A specific date to revisit it, written down, not a vague "let's check in sometime"
• What exactly needs to happen between now and then for the answer to change
• Whether anything non-cash is possible in the meantime, covered below

Sometimes this is true. It's worth taking seriously rather than assuming it's always a brush-off, but it's also fair to ask a few direct questions rather than accepting it at face value:

• "Is this a business-wide freeze, or specific to my role or team?"
• "When do you expect that to change?"
• "Is there a smaller increase possible even if the full ask isn't, given where things are?"

A manager who can answer these specifically is likely being straight with you. A manager who gets vague or defensive under direct, reasonable questions is worth watching more closely over time.

A few things worth knowing before you go into any pay conversation:

If you've made a strong case, timed it well, and the answer is still a flat no with no path forward, that's real information, not necessarily about your worth, but about what this particular employer can or will offer right now.

• Decide honestly whether the rest of the role, including flexibility, growth, the team and the work itself, is still worth staying for at current pay
• If you decide to look elsewhere, your market research from section 03 is already done
• Keep the conversation professional either way, since a calm, well-argued ask that didn't land is remembered far better than one that turned into an ultimatum

The single strongest thing you can add to a pay case, tight economy or not, is a genuine skill or qualification upgrade that makes the value you bring harder to argue with. "I've picked up new responsibilities" is a good case. "I've picked up new responsibilities and hold a recognised qualification to back it" is a much stronger one.