Welder salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a welder is $87,800 per annum, before tax, up $18,500 since 2018.
- Sector is the biggest variable: mine maintenance and shutdown work, construction sites and factory production welding each pay on different arrangements, and plenty of welders travel to follow the projects.
- Shift work and overtime carry penalty rates, and casual or contract roles usually include a loading in place of paid leave.
- Certification for coded or pressure welding opens up work that uncertified welders cannot take on, which is the usual way to lift earnings without leaving the trade.
The median salary rose by $18,500 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 welder
The largest typical pay rise is $63,400 a year, moving into Miner.
- Miner+$63,400/yr
- Production Manager+$31,700/yr
- Pressure Welder+$8,400/yr
How to negotiate a higher welder salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time welder salary is $87,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Welders 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 welder experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Miner pays a typical $63,400 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."
Welder salary questions
How much do welders earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a welder is $87,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is welder pay rising or falling?
The median welder salary is up $18,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than welder?
Miner pays a typical $63,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to welder.
Related salaries
- Pressure Welder salary
- Sheet Metal Worker salary
- Miner salary
- Production Manager salary
- Process Worker salary
- Metal Trades Assistant 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.