Home Bricklayer Salary
Bricklayer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a bricklayer is $120,500 per annum, before tax, up $25,600 since 2018.
- Many bricklayers work as subcontractors paid by the thousand bricks or the square metre, so the rate has to cover wet days, travel between sites, insurance and your own super.
- Employees on an award or enterprise agreement are paid hourly with penalty rates and allowances instead, which smooths out the quiet weeks.
- Ask how the rate is set, what happens when rain stops work, and whether a quoted figure is for wages or for subcontracting.
The median salary rose by $25,600 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than bricklayer
The largest typical pay rise is $74,600 a year, moving into Construction Manager.
- Construction Manager+$74,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher bricklayer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time bricklayer salary is $120,500; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Bricklayers are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Reading plans and specifications and Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general bricklayer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Construction Manager pays a typical $74,600 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Bricklayer salary questions
How much do bricklayers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a bricklayer is $120,500 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is bricklayer pay rising or falling?
The median bricklayer salary is up $25,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than bricklayer?
Construction Manager pays a typical $74,600 a year more and draws on similar skills to bricklayer.
Related salaries
- Site Supervisor salary
- Stonemason salary
- Construction Manager salary
- Carpenter salary
- Concreter salary
- Builder's Labourer salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.