Electrician
Install, repair and maintain electrical wiring, fittings, switchboards and motors in domestic, commercial and industrial settings.
Registration: State electrical licence required
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Electricians (3411) 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 | $2204 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Electrician (General) (341111), the closest official match for electrician, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 128,300
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 86%
- Average full-time hours
- 45 a week
- Women
- 2%
- Median age
- 34
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 28.7% |
| VIC | 23.6% |
| QLD | 22.9% |
| WA | 13.4% |
| SA | 6.8% |
| TAS | 2.1% |
| ACT | 1.5% |
| NT | 1.1% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 0.6% |
| Bachelor degree | 2.7% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 5.4% |
| Certificate I-IV | 73% |
| Year 12 | 12.3% |
| Below Year 12 | 4.9% |
What an electrician actually does
Most electricians start the day at a job site with a toolbox talk, a quick review of the day's work and a JSA. Domestic and commercial sparkies spend a lot of time pulling cable, terminating, mounting points, and running switchboards. Industrial and mining sparkies focus more on motor control centres, control cabinets, fault-finding and shutdown work. Apprentices spend the first year mostly on prep, conduit installs and learning to test. Once you have your A grade licence in hand the day flips toward taking responsibility for sign-off, testing to AS/NZS 3000, and managing apprentices of your own. Hours are typically a 38-hour week with some overtime. Mining and shutdown jobs can run 12-hour shifts on a roster. Sub-contractors often build a small business of their own after 5-10 years.
Typical tasks
- Read and interpret electrical drawings and standards.
- Install and terminate cables and switchgear.
- Test installations against AS/NZS 3000.
Skills you'll use
- Reading single line and circuit diagrams
- Cable selection and termination to AS/NZS 3008 and AS/NZS 3000
- Testing and tagging, RCD testing and verification
- Fault-finding on residential and three-phase circuits
- Switchboard and consumer mains installation
- Working safely at height, in confined spaces and around live equipment
- Customer communication and basic quoting
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 10 or 12. Most apprentices start straight from school, but a pre-apprenticeship Certificate II in Electrotechnology helps if you cannot find an employer
- 2Secure a host employer and sign an apprenticeship agreement through an apprenticeship network provider
- 3Complete a 4-year Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician (UEE30820) at TAFE alongside paid on-job training
- 4Pass the Capstone Assessment in your final year, which combines a theory exam and practical test
- 5Apply for your state electrical contractor or worker licence through your state regulator (for example NSW Fair Trading or Energy Safe Victoria)
- 6Optional steps include adding a Restricted Electrical Licence, an Inspector's Licence, or specialty endorsements like solar accreditation through the Clean Energy Council
Where you can work
- Residential building sites
- Commercial fit-out and shopfitting projects
- Industrial plants including manufacturing, food processing and mining
- Energy network and substation operators
- Solar and battery installers
- Maintenance contractors on commercial property
- Defence facilities and shipyards
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Apprentice0-4 yearsTypical roles: First-year apprentice, Fourth-year apprentice
- Licensed electrician4-8 yearsTypical roles: Domestic electrician, Commercial electrician, Industrial electrician
- Senior or sub-contractor8-15 yearsTypical roles: Leading hand, Service supervisor, Sub-contractor running a small crew
- Business owner or specialist15+ yearsTypical roles: Electrical contractor running their own business, Senior service technician, Electrical inspector
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You like practical problem solving with your hands
- You can handle Australian climate extremes on construction sites
- You are comfortable with maths up to Year 10 level for cable sizing and Ohm's law
- You want to build toward running your own business
- You take safety rules seriously, since shortcuts can kill you or a workmate
This might not suit you if
- You want a seated office job from day one
- You dislike early starts and physical labour
- You have a vision impairment that prevents safe colour identification on wiring
Three ways in
Uni, TAFE and trade routes for electrician. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Apprenticeship trade
Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.
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.