Mechanical engineer
Design and analyse mechanical systems across manufacturing, energy, defence and transport.
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers (2335) 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 | $2151 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
| Graduate starting salary | $82,500 | QILT (2026-08-31) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Mechanical Engineer (233512), the closest official match for mechanical engineer, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 22,900
- Future demand
- Strong
- Work full-time
- 90%
- Average full-time hours
- 43 a week
- Women
- 7%
- Median age
- 38
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 25.7% |
| VIC | 28.3% |
| QLD | 18.4% |
| WA | 18.9% |
| SA | 6.3% |
| TAS | 1% |
| ACT | 1% |
| NT | 0.4% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 23.2% |
| Bachelor degree | 56.7% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 7.3% |
| Certificate I-IV | 7.3% |
| Year 12 | 2.8% |
| Below Year 12 | 0.7% |
What a mechanical engineer actually does
Mechanical engineers work across design offices, manufacturing floors, mine sites, defence facilities and energy plants. A consulting or product design day looks like CAD modelling in SolidWorks, Inventor or Creo, running finite element or computational fluid dynamics studies, sitting in design reviews and writing technical reports. A plant-side role looks different. You spend more time chasing breakdowns, signing off on isolations, walking maintenance rounds and updating reliability data in SAP or Maximo. Hours are typically 38-45 in design and consulting roles. Operations and project commissioning work runs longer with site rosters and call-outs. Most graduates start in a rotational programme that cycles them through design, production, project and maintenance functions over their first two years.
Typical tasks
- Design components using CAD and finite-element analysis.
- Test prototypes and analyse failure data.
- Manage maintenance schedules and reliability programmes.
Skills you'll use
- 3D CAD including SolidWorks, Inventor or Creo
- Finite element analysis and fluid dynamics simulation
- Thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and machine design
- Reading and applying Australian Standards including AS 4024 machine safety
- Hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies
- Project planning and budget tracking
- Coordinating with electrical, controls and mechanical drafting teams
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12 with English, Maths Methods or Specialist and Physics
- 2Complete a 4-year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) with a mechanical major accredited by Engineers Australia
- 3Apply for graduate programmes at OEMs, defence primes, mining houses or mid-tier consultancies in your final year
- 4Spend the first 2-3 years in rotations covering design, manufacturing, projects and maintenance
- 5Work toward Chartered Engineer status with Engineers Australia, typically over 3-5 years post-graduation
- 6Specialise in a sector such as defence, energy, mining, manufacturing or HVAC. Many engineers pick up a Masters or vendor certification along the way
Where you can work
- Defence primes and shipbuilding programmes
- Mining and resources operators
- Oil, gas and renewable energy companies
- Manufacturing and food-processing plants
- Engineering consulting firms
- HVAC and building services design practices
- Federal research bodies such as CSIRO and DSTG
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Graduate0-2 yearsTypical roles: Graduate mechanical engineer, Project engineer, Reliability engineer
- Engineer3-6 yearsTypical roles: Mechanical engineer, Design engineer, Reliability engineer
- Senior7-12 yearsTypical roles: Senior mechanical engineer, Lead engineer, Engineering team lead
- Principal or Manager12+ yearsTypical roles: Principal engineer, Engineering manager, Technical director
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You like understanding how machines fail and how to stop them failing
- You can move between hands-on plant work and detailed analysis
- You are comfortable with maths, physics and modelling software
- You enjoy working in cross-functional teams with electrical and controls engineers
- You can communicate a technical risk clearly to a non-engineering manager
This might not suit you if
- You want a role with no site work, no fly-in fly-out and no shutdowns
- You dislike standards-heavy environments with formal sign-offs
- You want fast-moving creative work with no compliance overhead
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for mechanical 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.