Joiner salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a joiner is $72,800 per annum, before tax, up $15,100 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- 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.
The median salary rose by $15,100 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 joiner
The largest typical pay rise is $122,300 a year, moving into Construction Manager.
- Construction Manager+$122,300/yr
- Carpenter+$18,700/yr
How to negotiate a higher joiner salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time joiner salary is $72,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Joiners 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 Craft and handmade production and Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general joiner experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Construction Manager pays a typical $122,300 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."
Joiner salary questions
How much do joiners earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a joiner is $72,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is joiner pay rising or falling?
The median joiner salary is up $15,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than joiner?
Construction Manager pays a typical $122,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to joiner.
Related salaries
- Carpenter salary
- Cabinet Maker salary
- Shopfitter salary
- Construction Manager salary
- Pressure Welder salary
- Steel Fixer 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.