Industries with the Biggest Increase in Profit Margin in Australia in 2026

• 1. Grain-Sheep or Grain-Beef Cattle Farming in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 24.7pp

  Grain-sheep and grain-beef cattle farmers' performance has been volatile over the past five years. Fluctuations in annual rainfall have contributed to volatile grain production over the past few years. Rainfall has heavily influenced livestock production and sales because of its effect on pasture feed quality and the price of manufactured feed.

  La Niña weather conditions brought wetter, cooler weather across much of the country from 2020 to mid-2023. As a result, pasture feed quality i...

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• 2. Sheep-Beef Cattle Farming in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 12.6pp

  Sheep-beef cattle farmers have faced variable conditions over the past few years, including changing weather patterns, downstream demand fluctuations and price movements. These factors have fuelled very high revenue volatility. Revenue plummeted over 2022-23 and 2023-24 as a surging supply of sheep and cattle hit the market, causing prices to fall. Conversely, strong price growth in 2024-25 lifted revenue. In 2025-26, a decline in beef and sheep turn-off rates is driving an anticipated 6.0% d...

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• 3. Horse and Sports Betting in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 8.3pp

  Australia's Horse and Sports Betting in...

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• 4. Online Recruitment Services in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 8.0pp

  The Online Recruitment Services industry is highly susceptible to shifts in business confidence, the national unemployment rate, the size of the total labour force, internet usage and demand from employment companies. Employment trends also influence industry earnings. Growth in part-time and casual employment has led to employers placing more job advertisements online, raising demand for the industry.

  Industry revenue has grown at an annualised 2.7% over the five years through 2025-26...

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• 5. Solar Electricity Generation in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 7.5pp

  As Australia looks to a cleaner future, solar power offers a bright alternative to emissions-intensive fossil fuels. Advances in solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies have made solar commercially viable, with China manufacturing most of the world's solar panels. In contrast to small-scale solar, which is covering more Australian homes than ever before, the utility-scale market remains relatively untapped. Buoyed by public sector support, private capital is now flooding into new solar projects ...

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• 6. Money Market Dealers in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 7.5pp

  The Money Market Dealers industry has faced volatile conditions over the past few years. Turnover volume plunged at the start of the period owing to the Term Funding Facility (TFF) introduced by the RBA in March 2020. The TFF provided authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) with low-cost fixed-rate funding for up to three years. However, following the winding down of the TFF, the RBA has focused on boosting repurchase activity as it switches to a demand-driven ‘ample reserves’ system. A...

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• 7. Pulp, Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 7.4pp

  Manufacturers in the Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing industry have faced significant challenges in recent years. A notable weakening in demand from key downstream markets has adversely affected earnings, particularly from the newspaper and print media sectors. Companies have implemented cost-cutting measures to address these difficulties, including implementing workforce reductions and closing unprofitable mills to reduce excess capacity. In contrast, demand from online retailers and...

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• 8. General Insurance in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 6.3pp

  Rising premiums continue to dictate insurance companies' performance. Insurers are also looking to entrench their market dominance, with mergers and acquisitions aplenty among the major players like IAG and Suncorp. Following pressures from higher natural disaster frequency and claims payouts, general insurers allocated higher natural disaster allowances and accelerated premium price increases. Coverage for underlying assets, especially motor vehicles, is becoming more expensive. Natural disa...

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• 9. Online Advertising in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 5.5pp

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• 10. Mineral Sand Mining in Australia

  Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 5.0pp

  Over recent years, the Mineral Sand Mining industry has faced significant challenges because of the declining production of higher-value sands like leucoxene and zircon, stemming from ore depletion in older mines. Despite these setbacks, new projects like Strandline Resources' Coburn and Sheffield Resources' Thunderbird have bolstered ilmenite concentrate output, helping to offset the impact on overall mineral sand production. However, the lower titanium dioxide content...

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