How Much Should You Pay to Attract Good Tradies?
There is no single hourly rate or annual salary that will attract every good tradie in Australia.
A qualified mechanic working in a suburban workshop is operating in a completely different labour market from an industrial electrician on shift work, a boilermaker doing shutdowns or a fitter working on a remote mining site. Location, experience, industry, roster, overtime, licences and the difficulty of finding the skill set can all dramatically change what an employer needs to offer.
There is, however, one useful rule.
If you want good tradies, the pay needs to be competitive enough that money is not an obvious reason to reject your job.
You do not necessarily need to be the highest-paying employer in the market. Plenty of tradies will accept slightly less for local work, a better roster, a good vehicle, strong management or more predictable hours. But there is a limit to how much those benefits can compensate for wages that have fallen significantly behind comparable jobs.
For employers, the goal is therefore not finding the cheapest possible rate.
It is finding the lowest sustainable rate that still allows you to attract and retain the quality of worker the business actually needs.
Start With the Market, Not the Minimum Wage
The legal minimum and the market wage are two very different concepts.
Employers first need to make sure they understand the applicable award, enterprise agreement or other industrial arrangements covering the employee. From 1 July 2026, Australia's National Minimum Wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week for eligible award-free adult employees, while award minimum wages also increased from that date.
Those figures are minimum employment standards, not a recruitment strategy for qualified tradespeople.
A business trying to recruit an experienced industrial electrician, diesel mechanic or maintenance fitter should not begin by asking, "What is the minimum I am legally allowed to pay?"
The better question is, "What are good people with these skills actually being offered?"
That market rate is what your vacancy competes against.
There Is No Single "Tradie Wage"
The term tradie covers an enormous range of occupations.
Jobs and Skills Australia earnings data demonstrate just how wide the differences can be. Its published occupation data shows median full-time hourly earnings around $40 for motor mechanics, around $44 for structural steel and welding trades workers and around $60 for metal fitters and machinists.
Those figures should not be treated as a salary guide for an individual vacancy. The underlying earnings data relates to existing workers and can include different industries, locations, experience levels, overtime patterns and working arrangements.
They do, however, illustrate why advertising every trade role at roughly the same wage makes little sense.
A mechanic, workshop welder, maintenance fitter and FIFO boilermaker can all have completely different labour markets.
Your rate needs to reflect the particular worker you are trying to hire.
Benchmark the Exact Job You Are Filling
When deciding what to pay, compare your vacancy with genuinely similar roles.
Do not compare a residential electrician with a FIFO industrial electrician simply because both hold electrical qualifications.
Look at the occupation, location, industry and actual responsibilities.
A useful comparison should consider whether the job involves supervision, shift work, callouts, remote work, regular overtime, specialised equipment, travel, project responsibilities or rare technical skills.
The closer the comparison, the more useful the advertised salary becomes as a benchmark.
For example, if you need a normal workshop mechanic in Melbourne, compare yourself with other workshop mechanic positions around Melbourne. If you need a diesel technician capable of field service on heavy mining equipment, compare against that market instead.
Look at What Competitors Are Advertising
Current job advertisements are one of the most practical sources of market intelligence available to employers.
Search for the same occupation within your area and look at the salary ranges being advertised.
Do not base your decision on one unusually high or low advertisement.
Look across a reasonable group.
After reviewing enough vacancies, you will usually begin to see a market forming.
Perhaps most comparable jobs sit around $45-$50 an hour.
Perhaps experienced workers are consistently being advertised at $50-$55.
Perhaps the hardest positions are offering $60 plus significant overtime.
This gives you a much better starting point than choosing a wage internally and hoping the market accepts it.
Decide What Quality of Worker You Actually Need
One of the biggest hiring mistakes is asking for an exceptional candidate while budgeting for an average one.
The job advertisement requests ten years of experience, multiple licences, specialist knowledge, supervisory ability, customer skills and complete independence.
Then the employer offers the same money as a standard qualified position.
Candidates notice the mismatch.
Before setting pay, decide whether you genuinely need the top end of the labour market.
Some businesses absolutely do.
If one employee needs to independently diagnose complex machinery, manage customers, supervise apprentices and run major jobs, paying more may be justified.
Other businesses could successfully hire someone with less experience and develop them.
The wage should reflect the actual capability required.
Good Tradies Usually Cost More Than Minimum-Spec Candidates
There is often a reason one candidate commands a higher wage.
They may need less supervision.
They diagnose faults faster.
They communicate well with customers.
Their workmanship creates fewer callbacks.
They can train apprentices.
They solve problems instead of creating them.
They can be trusted with a vehicle, customer and job without the owner constantly checking on them.
Those qualities create commercial value.
The cheapest qualified candidate is therefore not always the least expensive employee.
A stronger worker earning several dollars more per hour may ultimately produce more value than a cheaper hire who requires constant management and creates rework.
Think in Terms of Productivity, Not Hourly Rate Alone
Consider two technicians.
One costs $45 per hour and consistently needs help, takes longer to diagnose problems and occasionally requires work to be corrected.
The other costs $52 per hour but works independently, communicates with customers and completes more jobs correctly the first time.
Looking only at hourly wage makes the first employee appear cheaper.
Looking at business output may tell a completely different story.
Employers should therefore consider what they are receiving for the additional wage.
This is especially important when hiring senior tradies.
Pay should generally increase alongside the amount of value, independence and responsibility the employee brings to the company.
Know When Paying Above Market Makes Sense
There are situations where deliberately paying above the normal market can be a very sensible decision.
You may need someone immediately.
The role may have been vacant for months.
The skills may be genuinely difficult to find.
The position may carry important customer relationships.
You may be entering a new technical area and need someone who already knows it.
Perhaps the employee will allow the business to take on significantly more profitable work.
In those situations, paying an extra few thousand dollars a year may be trivial compared with the value of filling the position.
The question should not simply be whether the wage feels expensive.
Ask what remaining understaffed costs.
Hard-to-Fill Jobs Need a Stronger Offer
If suitable applicants are abundant, employers have more flexibility.
If suitable candidates are scarce, the balance changes.
An experienced refrigeration technician with specialised commercial knowledge may have several employers interested.
So might an industrial electrician with advanced fault-finding skills or a diesel mechanic experienced with particular heavy equipment.
The candidate has leverage because replacing their capability is difficult.
Employers recruiting scarce skills need to recognise that scarcity in the package.
That might mean a higher wage.
It could also involve vehicle, roster, flexibility, allowances or training.
Usually it means some combination.
Regional and Remote Jobs Often Need a Premium
Location influences pay.
A role that is easy to recruit for in a major metropolitan area may become significantly harder in a regional town.
The employer may need the worker to relocate.
Their partner may need employment.
Housing may be difficult.
The employee is moving their entire life rather than simply changing workplaces.
For genuinely difficult regional vacancies, employers may need to think beyond the ordinary local salary.
Relocation assistance, temporary accommodation, a vehicle or additional pay may be necessary.
The more inconvenient the location is for the candidate, the stronger the reason to move needs to become.
FIFO Pay Cannot Be Compared Directly With Local Pay
FIFO and mining salaries create a lot of confusion when employers compare trade wages.
Yes, some remote roles pay substantially more than ordinary metropolitan jobs.
They also require employees to spend significant amounts of time away from home, work long shifts and operate under very different conditions.
A suburban service company usually cannot and should not attempt to match remote mining earnings dollar for dollar.
Instead, compare total lifestyle.
A local employee may sleep in their own bed every night, work more conventional hours and have no flights or camp accommodation.
For some tradies, that is worth accepting less money.
For others, maximum earnings will win.
Your goal is attracting the worker whose priorities fit the job you actually offer.
Shift Work and Rosters Affect the Rate
A Monday-to-Friday day-shift job should not necessarily be benchmarked against a rotating shift position.
Night work, weekends and difficult rosters often come with additional compensation.
Candidates understand this.
If your role involves inconvenient hours, the overall package needs to reflect that.
Conversely, if your business offers an unusually good schedule, you may be able to compete without leading the wage market.
A fitter working predictable weekday hours may accept less than someone performing similar work across rotating nights and weekends.
This is why comparing headline salary figures without examining conditions can be misleading.
Consider the Total Remuneration Package
Base pay is only one component of the offer.
A tradie may also receive overtime, allowances, bonuses, RDOs, a work vehicle, fuel, tools, training and other benefits.
These can materially change the value of the position.
Suppose one employer offers $50 an hour with a take-home vehicle and mostly local work.
Another offers $53 an hour but requires the employee to drive their own vehicle to a depot and travel extensively.
The higher hourly rate does not automatically represent the better financial deal.
When setting compensation, calculate the complete package from the employee's perspective.
A Vehicle Can Change the Equation
For mobile trades, a take-home vehicle can be one of the most valuable benefits available.
The employee may save fuel, vehicle depreciation, registration costs and kilometres on their personal car.
They may also save commuting time if they can travel directly to jobs.
That does not mean employers should use a vehicle as an excuse to pay poorly.
It means the vehicle should be recognised when comparing the package with other employers.
A strong job advertisement should show both the salary and the vehicle rather than assuming candidates will discover the benefit later.
Overtime Can Make a Lower Base Rate Competitive
Many tradies actively want overtime.
If your business has reliable overtime available, the total earning opportunity may be significantly greater than the base rate suggests.
Be transparent.
Advertise the normal rate first.
Then explain overtime honestly.
Do not advertise an enormous theoretical annual earning figure that requires the employee to work every available Saturday and enormous weekday hours.
Candidates want to understand what they can realistically earn.
A credible earning opportunity is far more persuasive than an exaggerated one.
Lifestyle Can Bridge a Reasonable Pay Gap
Money does not operate in isolation.
A tradie might reject $5,000 extra a year if it adds ten hours of commuting every week.
They may choose a lower salary to stop working weekends.
They might leave FIFO for considerably less money because they want to be home every night.
They may accept slightly less to work under a supervisor they respect.
Lifestyle can therefore bridge a reasonable difference in pay.
The important word is reasonable.
There is a point where the wage gap becomes too large for lifestyle benefits to compensate.
How Much Above Market Should You Pay?
There is no universal premium.
You do not automatically need to offer 10% above every competitor to attract good workers.
In some cases, being around the stronger end of the normal market range and providing a good overall package will be enough.
For particularly difficult vacancies, a clear premium may be appropriate.
Rather than choosing an arbitrary percentage, let recruitment results tell you.
If suitable candidates consistently apply and accept offers, the package is probably close to market.
If strong candidates repeatedly withdraw when pay is discussed, your rate may be too low.
If nobody suitable applies at all, pay could be one of several problems worth reviewing.
Use actual candidate behaviour as evidence.
Don't Overpay for Skills You Don't Need
Paying competitively does not mean hiring the most experienced person available regardless of cost.
A small residential contractor may not need someone with twenty years of major-project supervisory experience.
A workshop may not need a senior diagnostic specialist for a position primarily performing routine servicing.
Over-specifying roles increases your recruitment difficulty and wage expectations.
Define the job accurately.
Separate essential skills from things that would simply be nice to have.
Then pay appropriately for that level.
Sometimes the better recruitment strategy is reducing unnecessary requirements rather than raising salary indefinitely.
Consider Hiring for Potential
A strong worker who is missing one teachable skill can be a better investment than waiting indefinitely for the perfect candidate.
Perhaps the person has the trade qualification and good fundamentals but lacks experience on your specific equipment.
Training them might be easier than paying a major premium for someone who already knows everything.
This can also widen the candidate pool.
The strategy works best when the missing skills can realistically be taught within the business.
Do not lower essential safety, licensing or competency standards simply to reduce wages.
But distinguish genuinely mandatory capability from experience someone could develop after joining.
Internal Pay Equity Matters
Recruitment wages affect existing employees.
Imagine your best electrician has worked for the company for five years and earns $48 an hour.
Recruitment becomes difficult, so management advertises a new electrician at $52-$56.
Eventually the existing employee will probably discover the difference.
They may reasonably ask why loyalty resulted in them earning less than the person who just arrived.
This is why market increases sometimes require employers to review existing staff as well as new hires.
Fixing one vacancy while creating resentment across the current team is not a good recruitment outcome.
Don't Let Loyal Employees Fall Behind
Long-serving employees can gradually become underpaid because they are not testing the external market.
New candidates negotiate against today's conditions.
Existing workers may still be on rates created years ago.
Eventually the gap becomes large enough that someone notices.
Then another employer offers them what the market is already paying.
Regular pay reviews reduce this problem.
Retention is often cheaper than replacing a proven employee at the new market rate anyway.
Pay Increases Should Reflect Responsibility
Not every wage increase needs to be purely market driven.
Employees taking on greater responsibilities should generally see some progression.
Someone who begins supervising apprentices, managing customers or running projects is creating more value than when they started.
If the responsibility increases permanently while pay does not, frustration is predictable.
Clear links between capability, responsibility and remuneration also give employees a reason to develop.
They can see how becoming more valuable to the business improves their own position.
Don't Use Job Titles Instead of Pay Rises
Changing someone's title from "Electrician" to "Senior Electrician" without changing their responsibilities, authority or compensation rarely achieves much.
Employees quickly recognise empty progression.
If a title represents genuine advancement, define what has changed.
Greater technical responsibility.
Project ownership.
Supervision.
Customer management.
Then compensate accordingly.
Career progression works best when responsibility, authority and remuneration move together.
The Cost of Losing a Tradie Can Exceed a Pay Rise
Employers sometimes reject a pay increase because it feels expensive in isolation.
Consider the alternative.
The employee resigns.
The business advertises the vacancy.
Managers spend time reviewing resumes and interviewing.
Other employees work overtime.
Jobs may be delayed.
A recruiter might become necessary.
The replacement takes time to reach full productivity.
Suddenly the wage increase that would have kept the original employee looks relatively small.
This does not mean agreeing to every salary request.
It means comparing the cost of retention with the cost of replacement properly.
Calculate the Cost of an Unfilled Role
The same logic applies during recruitment.
Suppose a business refuses to increase its offer by $5,000 a year.
The vacancy then remains open for three months.
During that period, the company turns away jobs, pays overtime and uses expensive subcontractors.
Saving $5,000 in salary may have cost tens of thousands elsewhere.
Pay decisions should be commercial decisions.
Consider what the employee enables the business to earn.
Understand Revenue Per Tradie
One useful way to think about compensation is to understand the economic value of the role.
How much billable work can the employee complete?
What gross margin does that work generate?
Can the employee enable another crew?
Can they supervise apprentices?
Do they reduce subcontractor costs?
Can the company accept jobs it currently turns away?
A higher salary becomes easier to justify when you understand what that worker contributes.
Pay should still be sustainable, but it should be analysed in the context of productivity and revenue rather than viewed only as an expense.
Don't Chase the Cheapest Hire
The lowest salary expectation can be tempting.
Sometimes that candidate will be excellent.
Sometimes there is a reason they are significantly cheaper.
Recruit for value.
Assess technical competence, reliability, communication and how independently the person can operate.
A weak hire at $40 an hour can easily cost more than a strong hire at $48.
Wages are only one part of employee cost.
Mistakes, callbacks, supervision and lost customers also have prices.
Be Willing to Pay More for Independence
One of the most valuable characteristics in an experienced tradie is the ability to operate independently.
A service technician who can receive a job, diagnose the problem, deal with the customer and complete the work without constant involvement from management frees the business significantly.
That capability should generally command more than someone who requires close supervision.
The same applies to workers who can run projects, lead crews or train apprentices.
Paying more can make commercial sense because management capacity is valuable too.
Specialist Skills Deserve Specialist Pay
A trade qualification does not mean every worker has the same capability.
Certain skills can be significantly harder to find.
Advanced diagnostics.
Industrial automation.
Complex refrigeration systems.
Specialist welding.
Heavy equipment experience.
Commissioning.
High-level fault finding.
If those capabilities are genuinely important to the position, expect candidates to price them accordingly.
The more specialised the requirement becomes, the less useful a generic trade wage benchmark becomes.
How Much Should You Pay Electricians?
There is no single electrician rate that applies nationally.
Residential, commercial, industrial, service, maintenance, infrastructure and resources electricians can operate in very different markets.
When hiring, benchmark against the specific electrical work you need.
Industrial fault-finding and automation experience may justify a higher rate than more general work.
Supervision, shift work, callouts and remote work can all push compensation higher.
For local employers that cannot lead the wage market, vehicles, technical training, shorter travel and predictable hours can strengthen the package.
How Much Should You Pay Plumbers?
Plumbing pay also depends heavily on work type.
Residential construction, commercial plumbing, service and maintenance roles can have different market conditions.
For service plumbers, a take-home vehicle and callout structure can materially affect the package.
A strong plumber capable of independently dealing with customers may justify more than someone requiring significant supervision.
Benchmark locally and make sure the salary reflects both technical requirements and responsibility.
How Much Should You Pay Mechanics?
Motor mechanic earnings vary across light vehicle, dealerships, independent workshops, heavy diesel and field service.
Jobs and Skills Australia currently reports median full-time earnings of $1,622 per week and median hourly earnings of $40 for the broad Motor Mechanics occupation group, based on its published earnings data.
That is a useful broad reference, not a hiring rate.
A strong diagnostic technician in a difficult market may command substantially more.
Heavy diesel and remote roles can also sit in very different pay markets from ordinary metropolitan light-vehicle workshops.
Employers need to benchmark the actual specialisation they are hiring.
How Much Should You Pay Fitters and Machinists?
Fitters can operate across manufacturing, maintenance, mining, resources and other industrial environments.
Jobs and Skills Australia's broad Metal Fitters and Machinists occupation profile reports median full-time earnings of $2,606 per week and median hourly earnings of $60.
Again, those figures should not simply be copied into a job advertisement.
The occupation covers workers in different industries and working arrangements, and the published earnings data reflects existing employees rather than a recommended recruitment salary.
A day-shift workshop fitter and a fitter working long hours in heavy industry may have very different compensation expectations.
How Much Should You Pay Welders and Boilermakers?
Jobs and Skills Australia's Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers profile reports median full-time earnings of $1,688 per week and median hourly earnings of $44.
But welding and fabrication markets vary enormously.
A workshop fabricator, coded welder, shutdown boilermaker and remote mining worker are not competing for identical jobs.
Specialist qualifications, project conditions, overtime and travel can all increase the required rate.
Local workshop employers may be able to compete below remote project earnings by offering stability and lifestyle.
The important thing is understanding which labour market your vacancy actually sits in.
Scaffolding, Construction and High-Hours Roles Need Careful Comparison
Some broad trade and construction occupation groups show very high weekly earnings partly because employees work substantial hours.
For example, Jobs and Skills Australia's Structural Steel Construction Workers profile reports median full-time weekly earnings of $2,910, median hourly earnings of $66 and average full-time hours of 49 per week for the occupation group.
This demonstrates why headline annual or weekly earnings should be interpreted carefully.
A role with long hours, overtime and difficult conditions cannot be directly compared with an ordinary 38-hour weekday position using weekly income alone.
Employers should compare base rates, hours and conditions together.
How Much Should You Pay Apprentices?
Apprentice wages are different from qualified trade salaries.
Applicable minimum rates can depend on the award, apprenticeship stage, age, previous schooling and other employment circumstances.
Employers need to check the correct current legal rate for their individual apprenticeship arrangement.
Attracting a good apprentice is not simply about paying as little as the award allows.
Some businesses choose to pay above minimum apprentice rates to compete for stronger candidates or improve retention.
Training quality is also extremely important.
An apprentice may value a business that genuinely develops them more than one paying slightly more but providing poor exposure to the trade.
Should You Pay Above Award?
For many qualified trade roles, market wages may already sit above award minimums.
If the business needs experienced employees in a competitive labour market, paying only the applicable minimum may not attract the required candidates.
There is nothing unusual about paying above award where the market requires it.
The award establishes legal minimum conditions.
Recruitment determines what the employer actually needs to offer to secure labour.
Those are separate questions.
Pay Transparency Helps You Test the Market
Including a salary or hourly range in the job advertisement can provide useful feedback.
If the pay is competitive, candidates can immediately see it.
If the advertisement receives plenty of views but very few suitable applications, the package may need review.
If strong candidates repeatedly apply but withdraw after discussing pay, the signal becomes even clearer.
Transparency exposes problems earlier.
That is better than spending weeks interviewing candidates who were never going to accept the offer.
Use a Salary Range
A realistic range is often the best approach.
Perhaps you would pay $45 an hour for a competent qualified worker and $50 for someone with strong experience and greater independence.
Show that.
The range gives the employer room to recognise different capability while still giving candidates useful information.
Avoid ridiculously wide ranges.
Advertising $40-$70 an hour when almost every candidate will receive $42 creates distrust rather than flexibility.
The top end should be genuinely achievable by someone who matches the stronger end of the requirements.
Explain What Gets the Higher Rate
Candidates appreciate understanding what makes someone worth the top end.
It might be supervisory experience.
Specific technical knowledge.
Additional licences.
Advanced diagnostic capability.
Experience running jobs independently.
This can also encourage candidates to highlight relevant skills during recruitment.
A range feels much more credible when there is a clear reason behind it.
Don't Automatically Start Everyone at the Bottom
If you advertise $45-$52 an hour and then offer every candidate $45 regardless of experience, the range has little meaning.
Pay for what the person brings.
A candidate with exceptional capability may justify the upper end immediately.
Another candidate may have the fundamentals but need development and therefore start lower.
This approach creates a more rational compensation structure than treating every qualified worker identically.
Review the Rate If Your Job Ad Is Failing
If the vacancy performs poorly, do not immediately conclude that there are no tradies available.
Review the offer.
Is the salary competitive?
Is it clearly advertised?
Are you asking for too much experience?
Is the location difficult?
Is there extensive travel?
Is the roster unattractive?
Could another employer offer the same person a substantially better package?
Recruitment problems often contain useful information about the job.
More advertising will not necessarily fix an offer the market is rejecting.
Listen When Candidates Say the Pay Is Too Low
Employers sometimes dismiss salary feedback as candidates being unrealistic.
One candidate may be unrealistic.
Ten candidates saying the same thing is market information.
Keep a record of why people reject the role.
If almost every suitable person needs another $5 an hour, you have evidence that your budget and the candidate market are not aligned.
You then have a commercial decision to make.
Increase the pay.
Reduce the requirements.
Improve the package.
Or accept that the vacancy may take longer to fill.
Pay Enough to Make Moving Worthwhile
Recruiting someone who is unemployed is different from recruiting an experienced tradie already in a decent job.
An employed worker takes risk by moving.
They know their current boss.
They understand the systems.
They have established relationships.
They may have accumulated flexibility and trust.
Your new opportunity needs to give them a reason to give that up.
A tiny wage increase may not be enough.
The stronger the candidate's current situation, the better your overall offer usually needs to become.
Counteroffers Change the Recruitment Equation
When you offer a good tradie a job, their existing employer may respond with more money.
This is common where the employee is difficult to replace.
Your offer therefore needs to be compelling enough that the candidate is interested in the new job itself, not simply using it to negotiate a raise.
If your entire proposition is an extra dollar an hour, a counteroffer can easily defeat it.
A better role, better lifestyle, greater progression and stronger pay together are harder to counter.
Paying More Can Actually Reduce Hiring Costs
Higher wages increase direct payroll expense.
They can also reduce other costs.
A stronger salary may produce more applicants.
The vacancy may fill faster.
Recruitment agency use may decrease.
Employee turnover may fall.
The company may spend less time repeatedly advertising the same role.
A business should therefore evaluate recruitment costs and wage costs together.
The cheapest wage is not always the cheapest workforce strategy.
Retention Should Influence Your Pay Strategy
Attracting a tradie is only half the problem.
You need them to stay.
If you hire someone at the absolute bottom of what they are willing to accept, the next attractive offer may pull them away quickly.
Aim for a package where the employee believes they are being treated fairly.
That does not guarantee retention.
It removes one major reason to leave.
Combined with good management and decent working conditions, competitive pay creates a much stronger foundation.
Build a Pay Structure Rather Than Making It Up Every Time
Growing trade businesses benefit from some consistency.
You might have approximate ranges for apprentices, qualified tradies, senior tradies, leading hands and supervisors.
Within each range, experience and capability can influence the exact rate.
This makes recruitment easier.
It also helps employees understand how they can progress.
The system does not need to be rigid or overly corporate.
It simply prevents situations where two people doing very similar work are paid completely different amounts because they negotiated at different times.
Review Pay Regularly
Labour markets change.
A competitive salary today may fall behind over the next few years.
Review market conditions periodically.
Look at current vacancies.
Listen to recruitment feedback.
Talk with employees.
You do not necessarily need to change wages every time another company posts an unusually high rate.
But ignoring the market for several years can create a large gap that becomes expensive to correct all at once.
Where Tradie Jobs Fits In
Tradie Jobs focuses on Australian trade and blue-collar employment across electrical, plumbing, automotive, carpentry, HVAC and refrigeration, fitting, welding, boilermaking, landscaping, labouring, scaffolding, traffic control, FIFO and mining.
When advertising a vacancy, employers should think about salary before simply paying for more exposure.
A specialist trade job board can put your vacancy in front of relevant workers, but advertising cannot completely overcome an offer that candidates consider uncompetitive.
Research the market.
Set a realistic range.
Show it clearly.
Then explain the other reasons someone should choose your business.
Strong pay combined with a strong job gives recruitment advertising the best chance of converting views into applications.
A Practical Way to Set Tradie Pay
Start by confirming the applicable legal minimums and employment conditions for the role.
Then search comparable jobs in your location and industry.
Identify the normal market range.
Decide whether you need an average worker, an experienced independent tradie or a genuinely specialist candidate.
Review what your current employees earn.
Consider the vehicle, roster, overtime, allowances and other benefits.
Think about how urgently the position needs to be filled.
Estimate what leaving the position vacant is costing the business.
Then choose a realistic salary range.
Advertise it clearly.
Track applicant feedback.
If strong candidates consistently reject the package, adjust.
This is much more effective than deciding internally that a tradie "should be worth" a particular amount and refusing to respond when the market says otherwise.
Final Thoughts
So, how much should you pay to attract good tradies?
Enough to be genuinely competitive for the exact person you are trying to recruit.
Not necessarily the highest wage in the market.
Not necessarily whatever another company pays.
And definitely not simply the lowest legal amount.
Start with the market.
Consider experience, trade, location, industry, hours, roster and technical complexity.
Then look at the complete package.
A good vehicle, local work, predictable hours, strong management and training can make a competitive wage much more attractive.
If the skill is particularly difficult to find or the vacancy is costing the business money every day it remains empty, paying above the normal market may make excellent commercial sense.
Most importantly, stop thinking about wages purely as a cost.
A good tradie creates value.
They complete work.
Solve problems.
Protect customer relationships.
Train others.
Reduce mistakes.
And allow the business to accept more jobs.
The right question is not, "How little can we pay?"
It is, "What do we need to pay to attract someone who creates more value than they cost?"
That is a much better way to build a strong trade workforce.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should you pay a good tradie?
There is no universal figure. Pay should reflect the trade, experience, location, industry, responsibilities and current candidate market.
Should I pay above the award rate?
If the market rate for the workers you need sits above the applicable award minimum, you may need to pay above award to attract suitable candidates.
What is Australia's minimum wage in 2026?
From 1 July 2026, the National Minimum Wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week for eligible award-free adult employees. Many trade employees are covered by awards or agreements with their own applicable rates.
Is the minimum wage a good guide for tradie salaries?
No. Legal minimums establish employment obligations. Market wages determine what employers may need to offer to recruit particular skills.
Should good tradies be paid above market?
Not always. Paying around the stronger end of the market with a good overall package may be sufficient.
When should I pay above market?
It may make sense for hard-to-fill positions, urgent vacancies, specialist skills or employees capable of generating substantial additional value.
How do I find the market rate for a tradie?
Compare current advertisements for genuinely similar jobs in the same location, industry and working conditions.
Are online salary averages accurate?
They can provide a broad reference, but individual vacancies can differ substantially based on hours, industry, skills and location.
How much do mechanics earn?
Jobs and Skills Australia's published broad Motor Mechanics profile reports median full-time earnings of $1,622 per week and median hourly earnings of $40. Individual mechanic roles can vary substantially.
How much do fitters earn?
Jobs and Skills Australia's broad Metal Fitters and Machinists profile reports median full-time earnings of $2,606 per week and median hourly earnings of $60. Specific positions may sit above or below this depending on industry and working conditions.
How much do welders earn?
Jobs and Skills Australia's Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers profile reports median full-time earnings of $1,688 per week and median hourly earnings of $44. Workshop, shutdown and remote roles can vary considerably.
Why are some trade wages so much higher than others?
Industry, overtime, remote work, shifts, specialised skills, labour shortages and responsibility can all affect earnings.
Does FIFO always pay more?
FIFO and resources roles can offer higher earnings, but they also involve different rosters, hours and lifestyle conditions.
Do regional tradies need higher pay?
Hard-to-fill regional roles may require stronger compensation or relocation benefits to attract candidates from outside the area.
Should I include salary in the job advertisement?
In most cases, yes. A clear range helps candidates determine whether the role matches their expectations.
Should I advertise an exact rate or range?
A realistic range often works well when the final offer genuinely depends on experience or capability.
How wide should the range be?
Wide enough to reflect genuine differences between suitable candidates, but not so wide that it becomes meaningless.
Should I include super in the salary?
Make it clear whether annual salary figures are plus super or inclusive of super.
Should overtime be included?
Show the normal base compensation clearly and explain genuine overtime opportunities separately.
Does a take-home vehicle count as compensation?
It can be a valuable part of the total package, particularly for mobile tradies, although it should not be used to disguise an otherwise poor wage.
Can better benefits compensate for lower pay?
They can bridge a reasonable gap. Local work, flexibility, vehicles and better hours may be valuable enough that someone accepts slightly lower pay.
How far below market can I pay if the job has great benefits?
There is no standard percentage. The greater the pay difference becomes, the harder it will generally be for benefits to compensate.
Why aren't tradies applying even though I pay award rates?
The applicable award rate may be substantially below the market wage required to attract experienced workers in that particular occupation.
Should I increase the wage if nobody applies?
Review the entire vacancy first. Pay may be the issue, but requirements, location, roster, job ad quality or working conditions could also be contributing.
What if candidates keep rejecting my offer because of money?
Repeated salary-based rejections are strong market feedback that your package may need adjustment.
Should I lower the experience requirements instead?
Sometimes. If the business can train a candidate who has the essential qualifications and fundamentals, widening the candidate pool can be more effective than continually increasing pay.
Is an experienced tradie worth paying more?
Often, particularly if they can work independently, solve complex problems, manage customers or supervise less experienced employees.
Should supervisors earn more than tradies?
Greater responsibility will generally influence compensation, although exact rates depend on the role and market.
How often should I review tradie wages?
Review them periodically and whenever there are clear changes in recruitment difficulty or market conditions.
Should existing employees receive increases when new-hire rates rise?
Internal pay equity should be reviewed. Large differences between new and long-serving employees doing comparable work can create retention problems.
Why is the new hire asking for more than my existing employees earn?
The external labour market may have moved faster than internal pay. This is a signal to review both the vacancy and current employee compensation.
Is it cheaper to increase wages or recruit replacement tradies?
Sometimes a pay increase is significantly cheaper once recruitment costs, vacancies, overtime, onboarding and lost productivity are considered.
How do I know whether a higher wage is commercially worthwhile?
Estimate what the employee enables the business to earn or save and compare that with the additional compensation.
Should I choose the candidate with the lowest salary expectations?
Not automatically. Consider productivity, independence, technical ability, reliability and the cost of mistakes as well as wages.
Can paying more improve productivity?
Higher wages alone do not guarantee productivity, but paying appropriately can help attract candidates with stronger capability and experience.
Does paying more improve retention?
Competitive compensation can remove one major reason employees leave, although management and working conditions still matter.
How can small trade businesses compete without paying the most?
Offer competitive rather than necessarily market-leading pay, then strengthen the package with local work, flexibility, good vehicles, training, strong management and career opportunities.
What is the best way to decide what to pay a tradie?
Confirm your legal obligations, benchmark comparable jobs, assess how difficult the skills are to find, review internal pay, value the complete package and adjust based on real candidate feedback.