01-Engineering and trades

ANZSCO 2332Skill level 1Engineering and trades

Civil engineer

Design, deliver and maintain the built environment, from buildings and bridges to roads, rail and water infrastructure.

Registration: Engineers Australia chartered status (recommended)

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Salary

Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Civil Engineering Professionals (2332) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.

Figure	AUD	Source
Median full-time weekly earnings	$2264	Your Career (2026-09-23)
Graduate starting salary	$82,500	QILT (2026-08-31)

How far does this stretch in each city?

Jobs, demand and who does this work

Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Civil Engineer (233211), the closest official match for civil engineer, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).

People employed: 29,400
Future demand: Strong
Work full-time: 89%
Average full-time hours: 45 a week
Women: 15%
Median age: 34

Where the jobs are (share of workers)

NSW	33%
VIC	26.4%
QLD	22.4%
WA	10.2%
SA	4.3%
TAS	1.4%
ACT	1.6%
NT	0.7%

Highest qualification held by workers

Postgraduate qualification	22.2%
Bachelor degree	66.3%
Diploma or advanced diploma	4%
Certificate I-IV	1.6%
Year 12	4.2%
Below Year 12	0.3%

What a civil engineer actually does

Civil engineers split time between an office desk and a project site. Mornings usually start with design review, model updates in Civil 3D or 12d, and email triage with the client, contractor and council. The middle of the day often goes to design calculations, drawing markups, programme reviews and meetings with structural, geotechnical or environmental specialists. Site visits punch in once or twice a week to check setout, sign off on inspection-test points or witness a concrete pour. Hours sit around 38-45 per week for most consultancy and government roles, climbing to 50+ on big tier-one construction jobs when programme pressure hits. Graduates spend more time on drafting, quantity takeoffs and field inspections. Senior engineers spend more time on bids, client management and signing off on designs.

Typical tasks

Prepare engineering designs and drawings.
Manage project schedules, cost and risk.
Inspect works on site and approve compliance.

Skills you'll use

Structural, geotechnical and hydraulic calculations
AutoCAD, Civil 3D or 12d Model and BIM workflows
Reading and applying Australian Standards and the National Construction Code
Project scheduling in Primavera P6 or MS Project
Risk assessment and Safety in Design
Clear technical writing for client reports and council submissions
Coordinating with contractors, surveyors and subconsultants

How to become one

1Finish Year 12 with English, Maths Methods or Specialist and ideally Physics
2Complete a 4-year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) majoring in civil that is accredited by Engineers Australia
3Apply for graduate programmes at tier-one contractors, mid-tier consultancies or state transport authorities in your final year
4Spend your first 2-3 years rotating through design, site and project-control roles to log a wide experience base
5Work toward Chartered status with Engineers Australia. The Chartered programme is competency-based and typically takes 3-5 years
6For senior or signatory work in regulated states like Queensland and Victoria, complete the Registered Professional Engineer (RPEQ) or VBA endorsement process

Where you can work

Tier-one and mid-tier engineering consultancies
Tier-one and tier-two construction contractors
State transport authorities such as Transport for NSW and the Department of Transport Victoria
Local council infrastructure teams
Water, electricity and rail utility operators
Federal agencies including the Department of Infrastructure and Defence
Mining and resources companies with large civil works programmes

Career progression

Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.

Graduate
0-2 years
Typical roles: Graduate civil engineer, Site engineer, Design engineer
Senior
5-8 years
Typical roles: Senior design engineer, Senior site engineer, Project engineer
Principal or Project Manager
10-15 years
Typical roles: Principal engineer, Project manager, Engineering manager
Director or Partner
15+ years
Typical roles: Technical director, Associate director, Practice partner

Is this for you?

This might not suit you if

You want to stay purely behind a screen with no site visits
You dislike working within strict standards and approvals processes
You want a fully creative role with no compliance pressure
You expect a finished design to never be challenged on cost

Ways in

Uni and TAFE routes for civil engineer. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

No direct TAFE pathway to this career.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.