Insights into the current and future Strata industry
Strata Management Insights: Lessons from 2024 and What’s Ahead
In late 2024, I hosted a short webinar designed to take the temperature of the strata management sector — not from theory, but from the lived experience of employers, candidates, and professionals operating at the coalface.
What emerged was a clear narrative: strata management is no longer an “administrative” function. It is a recognised, complex, people-centric profession undergoing structural change — in how it works, how it is valued, and how talent must be attracted and retained.
Below is a distilled and expanded version of the key themes, insights, and calls to action from that session.
Why This Conversation Matters
January 2025 marked a genuine inflection point for the profession.
For the first time, the role of Strata Manager was formally recognised as an occupation by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
That recognition is more than symbolic. It signals that strata management has reached a level of maturity where consistency, professionalism, and accountability can no longer be optional.
For an industry that has historically carried enormous responsibility with limited recognition, this moment invites reflection — and action.
Key Industry Trends Shaping 2024
1. Hybrid Work Is No Longer a “Perk” — It’s an Expectation
Hybrid work has moved from novelty to norm. Across real estate and property, flexibility is now a baseline requirement rather than a differentiator.
- 62% of employees in the real estate sector report a preference for hybrid work models.
- Job satisfaction and efficiency have improved materially, yet reduced face-to-face interaction has weakened team cohesion in some environments.
For strata businesses, the takeaway is balance. Flexibility drives retention and wellbeing, but leadership, communication rhythms, and intentional in-person touchpoints remain essential — particularly in high-stakes or complex portfolios.
Hybrid works best when it is designed, not improvised
2. The Role of the Strata Manager Has Fundamentally Shifted
The modern strata manager is no longer defined by task execution alone.
Over the past five years, the role has expanded into:
- Strategic asset stewardship
- Risk and compliance management
- Stakeholder diplomacy
- Sustainability planning
- Complex project oversight
More than two-thirds of strata professionals now describe their role as “increasingly strategic”, yet 65% also report feeling overwhelmed by its expanding scope.
This tension is one of the defining challenges of the sector.
The implication is clear: experience alone is no longer sufficient. The future strata manager must be supported by structured training, leadership development, and clear role definition.
3. Training, Upskilling, and Professional Pathways Are Lagging Demand
As expectations rise, capability frameworks have struggled to keep pace.
- 72% of strata professionals believe continuous education is essential to success.
- 79% of employers acknowledge that current training structures are inadequate for modern demands.
Digital literacy, risk management, people leadership, and sustainability are no longer “nice to have” competencies — they are core requirements.
Without visible career pathways and investment in development, the industry risks burning out its best talent.
4. Licensing and Standardisation Remain Structural Barriers
One of the most consistent points of frustration raised in surveys and conversations is the lack of national licensing consistency.
State-based requirements limit mobility, complicate recruitment, and slow career progression — particularly for experienced managers capable of operating across jurisdictions.
Nearly three-quarters of strata professionals support national standardisation. While reform takes time, employers and professionals alike must remain proactive in navigating licensing requirements and advocating for alignment.
5. Salary Transparency and Retention Are Now Intertwined
Compensation conversations in strata have evolved.
What candidates are increasingly seeking is not simply “more”, but clarity:
- Clear salary bands
- Transparent progression criteria
- Alignment between portfolio complexity and remuneration
Metropolitan managers earning 20–30% more than regional counterparts for comparable responsibility has sharpened these discussions, as has the ongoing talent shortage.
Retention is no longer solved through counteroffers alone. It is solved through trust, structure, and visible fairness.
6. Technology and Sustainability Are Reshaping Expectations
Technology adoption is accelerating — though unevenly.
Nearly half of strata firms now rely on digital platforms for billing, maintenance, and resident communication. At the same time, sustainability has moved firmly into the mainstream:
- Energy efficiency initiatives
- EV charging infrastructure
- Long-term asset sustainability planning
Residents expect smarter, greener buildings. Strata managers are increasingly the translators between aspiration, feasibility, and execution.
Looking Ahead: Strata Management in 2025 and Beyond
What Employers Must Prioritise
- Designed flexibility, not ad-hoc hybrid arrangements
- Investment in professional development, not reliance on tenure
- Salary transparency, grounded in role complexity and market reality
The employers who lead here will not struggle to attract talent — they will become destinations.
What Strata Managers Must Own
- Ongoing education and skill diversification
- Clear articulation of career and remuneration expectations
- Proactive licensing and specialisation where appropriate
The profession is rising — but individual careers must be actively shaped.
The Central Theme: Collaboration
If one message stood out above all others, it is this:
The future of strata management will not be solved by employers alone, nor by individuals in isolation.
It will be shaped through collaboration — honest conversations about workload, expectations, remuneration, capability, and wellbeing.
With formal recognition now in place, the industry has an opportunity to mature with intention.
The question is no longer whether strata management is a profession.
It is how well we choose to build it from here.
If you are an employer reassessing structure, or a strata professional navigating your next step, these conversations are not optional — they are foundational to the next chapter of the industry.
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