Joiner
Joiners make and fit the timber pieces a building needs, from doors and windows to staircases, cabinets and shop fronts.
- Median salary*
- $72,800
3.9%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 4,300
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +10.9%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 42/wk
+2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Most joiners work in a workshop cutting, machining and assembling components, then head to site to install them. The trade sits between cabinet making, which leans towards furniture, and carpentry, which handles structural framing and general site work. About 4,300 people work as joiners in Australia, mainly in construction and manufacturing.
How much do joiners earn?
The median full-time salary for a joiner is $72,800 per annum, before tax, up $15,100 since 2018.
Rates come from the building and construction award, and many joiners work under an enterprise agreement that sets them higher. Installation work on site usually attracts allowances that workshop work does not, and joiners who run their own business set their own margins. Pay generally follows the complexity of the work, so custom staircases and commercial fit-outs pay better than standard runs.
What does a joiner do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Reading plans and specifications, then setting out the job so each component fits the space it is made for
- Measuring and cutting timber and sheet materials to tight tolerances, often on a panel saw or CNC machine
- Assembling doors, windows, staircases and cabinets using joints, fixings and adhesives
- Installing finished joinery on site, scribing and adjusting it to walls and floors that are rarely square
- Sanding, sealing and checking completed work for alignment, movement and finish quality
What skills do joiners need?
Employers look for craft and handmade production, hand and power tool work, reading plans and specifications, backed by Cabinet Vision fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Craft and handmade production
- Hand and power tool work
- Reading plans and specifications
- Fabrication and finishing
- Installation and maintenance
- Worksite safety management
Software and tools
- Cabinet Vision
- AutoCAD
- Microvellum
- SketchUp
General skills
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 4,300 people work as joiners in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 10.9% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a joiner?
Here's the path most joiners take, step by step.
- 1Start a joinery apprenticeship
The standard entry is a four-year apprenticeship with a joinery workshop, shopfitting company or kitchen manufacturer. It is paid work from day one and combines on-the-job training with study at TAFE or a private provider.
- 2Complete a Certificate III in Joinery
The trade qualification covers setting out, machining, assembly and installation. A Certificate III/IV is the most common qualification among joiners, held by about 63% of the current workforce.
- 3Get your White Card and any state licensing
A White Card is required before you can work on a construction site anywhere in Australia. Registration and contractor licence rules for building work differ between states, so check the requirement where you intend to work.
- 4Specialise or go out on your own
Joiners often narrow into staircases, commercial fit-outs, heritage windows or high-end kitchens, and experienced tradespeople commonly start their own workshop or contracting business.
Ready to apply as a joiner?
Whether you're working toward becoming a joiner or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a joiner move to?
Moving into Construction Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $122,300 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager Experienced joiners can move into site management, using trade knowledge to coordinate building projects, though a construction diploma is needed.Known move | +$122,300 | 13% | reskill |
| Carpenter Joiners bring precise timber cutting and fit-out skills to carpentry, though structural and site work requires further training.Known move | +$18,700 | 52% | reskill |
| Cabinet Maker Cabinet making extends joinery's timber cutting and assembly skills into furniture and fitted components, with further training in fine finishing.Known move | +$0 | 57% | reskill |
| Shopfitter Shopfitting uses joinery skills to install retail and commercial fit-outs, with additional training in shopfront systems and site work. | +$0 | 73% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a joiner?
The typical joiner is 36 years old; 98% are men, 83% work full-time, and full-timers average 42 hours a week.
- 36
- Median age
- 2%
- Female share
- 83%
- Full-time
- +2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a joiner?
The week splits between the workshop and the site. In the workshop the pace is steady and detailed, with setting out, machining and assembly done to a millimetre on a full-time week of about 42 hours. Installation days are less predictable, because the building is never as square as the drawings and joinery usually goes in late in a project, when other trades are already behind.
What people like
- You can see what you made. A day's work ends with a door hung, a staircase fitted or a run of cabinets ready to leave the workshop, and it is easy to check whether it is right.
- Accuracy is the job, not an extra. Tolerances in joinery are tight, so care and skill show up immediately in how a component sits and closes.
- Variety within one trade. The same workshop might turn out a custom staircase, a batch of windows and part of a shop fit-out in a single month.
- Workshop days suit people who like a bench. Much of the week is indoors with your own tools and a set routine, rather than in the weather on a framing job.
What people find hard
- Small errors are expensive. A misread measurement on a custom window or an expensive length of timber means remaking the piece, and that time comes out of the job.
- Dust, noise and time on your feet. Machining and sanding mean dust extraction, hearing protection and long days standing, and lifting heavy components is routine.
- Installation depends on everyone else. Joinery is fitted late, so a delayed slab, plaster or electrical rough-in pushes your installation day and squeezes the time you have.
- Margins on quoted work are lean. Competitive tendering on kitchens and shop fit-outs keeps quotes tight, which can put pressure on the finishing stage.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ joiners?
Construction employs the largest share of joiners, followed by Manufacturing.
Top employing industries
- 1Construction
- 2Manufacturing
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Certificate III/IV | 62.6% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 25.2% | |
| Bachelor degree | 4.8% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 4.3% | |
| Postgraduate | 1.1% |
Will AI replace joiners?
Joinery has low exposure to AI and automation, because the work is physical, made to measure and fitted to a particular building. Design and drafting software such as Cabinet Vision and Microvellum, and CAD more generally, already produce cutting lists and optimise sheet layouts, so quoting and material planning take less time than they once did. That changes the paperwork around the job more than the job itself.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Machining and cutting components to sizePanel saws and CNC routers cut sheet material quickly, but machine setup, grain matching and checking tolerances still come down to the person at the bench.35%low
- Assembling doors, windows, stairs and cabinetsJoints, gluing and fitting are done by hand and eye, and each piece is checked as it goes together.30%low
- Installing and fitting joinery on siteScribing a cabinet into a wall that is out of plumb is judgement and manual work that no software performs.25%low
- Reading plans, quoting and preparing cutting listsSoftware generates cutting lists, nests parts and estimates material, so this part of the week is quicker, though someone still checks it against the drawings.10%moderate
Common questions about becoming a joiner
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do joiners earn?
Full-time joiners earn a median of $72,800 per year before tax. Award and enterprise agreement rates set the base, and site installation work usually pays more than workshop work. Pay also rises with the complexity of the job and with running your own business.
How do you become a joiner?
The usual route is a four-year apprenticeship that combines paid workshop time with TAFE study towards a Certificate III in Joinery (CPC31920). You will need a White Card before working on a construction site, and some states require registration for building work. Experienced cabinet makers and carpenters can also move across with further training.
Are joiners in demand?
Joiners are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 10.9% over the decade to 2035. With only about 4,300 people in the trade, openings come from retirements as well as from renovation and fit-out work. A completed apprenticeship puts you in a small pool of qualified applicants.
Will AI replace joiners?
Automation reaches only part of this trade, because the work is physical, made to measure and fitted to a specific building. Design software such as Cabinet Vision and Microvellum, and CAD more generally, already generate cutting lists and optimise sheet layouts, which speeds up quoting and reduces waste. The machining, assembly and on-site fitting still need a person.
What is the difference between a joiner and a carpenter?
Joiners work mostly in a workshop producing building components such as doors, windows, stairs and shop fronts, while carpenters frame, fix and finish on site. The trades overlap closely, and joiners can move into carpentry with further training.
Where can joinery take you?
With extra training, joiners move into shopfitting, which uses about 73% of the same skills and pays about the same, or into carpentry, which pays $18,700 more. Some take a construction diploma and move into site management. Many experienced joiners set up their own workshop or contracting business, and that is often where earnings grow.
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