Tradie Salary Guide 2024

Are you considering a job as a tradie? Great news—we’ve updated our salary guide for 2024 to help you out. This guide offers valuable insights into the highest-paying trades in Australia and what you can expect to earn as a tradie.

Aussie tradies earn famously good money, so read on to learn more in our tradie salary guide for 2024.

Why do Aussie tradies earn so much?

As the building and construction industry is a vital part of the Australian economy, you may have heard that becoming a tradie is a good career path because there’s plenty of work and there are high salaries.

In Australia, tradie salaries are right up there with doctors and bankers. SEEK reveals that some of the highest-paying tradie jobs earn can over $200,000 a year. With more than 110,000 tradie jobs urgently needing workers, it’s clear this booming industry offers great opportunities for skilled professionals.

For anyone who likes working with their hands and prefers not to study at university, that’s a great career outcome.

But why is it that tradies earn so much in Australia?

Like teachers and nurses and many other classic professions, tradies are and always will be an essential job.

As long as we live in buildings, tradies will be in demand and there will continue to be plenty of jobs in the construction industry.

Tradie Average Salary Guide 2022

Ever wondered which are the top earning trades professions? We’ve picked a few top professions to help you compare.

The salaries below represent the average wage of the whole profession. Across all of these different trades, there are both higher and lower-earning tradies.

A tradie’s unique salary will depend on factors like:

• • Level of training
    Tradies that have done apprenticeships can earn more. This is because they perfect their trade under supervision with the help of one or more expert tradespeople.

• Highest certificate achieved
  Certificates and diplomas make a big difference when it comes to tradie salaries. The more qualifications you have, the greater the salary you can get.

• Years in the business
  Generally, the longer you’ve been working your trade, the better at it you will be and the higher rates you can charge.

• Location
  Tradies earn different amounts depending on which town or city they are in. While it’s generally true that city tradies earn more, some country tradies can earn a lot too depending on the town and what else is in the area.

Highest-paying trades in the construction industry of Australia (data from Jobs and Skills Australia, Dec 2024)

Carpenters

Average earnings per week: $1,787

Average earnings per year: $92,924

Plumbers

Average earnings per week: $2,000

Average earnings per year: $104,000

Construction and site managers

Average earnings per week: $3,691

Average earnings per year: $191,932

Electricians

Average earnings per week: $2,204

Average earnings per year: $114,608

Bricklayers

Average earnings per week: $1,597

Average earnings per year: $83,044

Concreters

Average earnings per week: $1,855

Average earnings per year: $96,460

How to become a tradie

Step 1: Choose your trade

With so many trades to choose from, making a decision can be a little daunting.

One way to help you decide is by doing a Certificate II in Construction Pathways (CPC20211).

In this course, you can sample many different types of trade work and see which one you enjoy the most.

Step 2: Start an apprenticeship

Do an apprenticeship in your chosen trade by starting a Certificate III with a building school like Builders Academy Australia.

In your apprenticeship, you can be a full-time worker for an employer in your chosen trade while studying your Cert III at night.

For example, when you start a Certificate III in Carpentry (CPC30220) with us, we will connect you with an employer for your apprenticeship.

Step 3: Get a licence

Once you’ve completed your Certificate III and your apprenticeship, you’ll be a fully qualified tradie.

You might like to work for a while, or alternatively, you could build on your qualifications to earn a higher profit.

You might like to do this by getting a builders registration from the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).

When you do a Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) (CPC40120), you get a free mentorship to help you apply for the builders licence.

Step 4: Take your career to the next level

Another way to increase your earnings as a tradie is by adding to your qualifications.

By doing a Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) (CPC50220), you’ll learn how to manage mid-rise domestic building projects.

When you do a Certificate IV or a Diploma, you’ll be able to do supervisor or manager in construction, which pays more money than working on the tools as a regular tradie.

High-level construction jobs like site supervisor or site manager are abundant in Victoria, and workers with these skills are in high demand.

This is why the Victorian government offers these courses as part of their Free TAFE for Priority Courses program.

Not sure if you qualify for free TAFE for priority courses? Give us a call today on 1300 534 363 (LEGEND) or complete the online form, and one of our course advisors will get in touch soon.

This article has been updated and republished on 10th January 2025.