Concreter
Construction trade placing and finishing concrete for slabs, footings, driveways and decorative surfaces.
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Concreter (821211), the closest official match for concreter, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- Median weekly earnings (full-time)
- $1,855
- People employed
- 37,200
- Future demand
- Stable
- Work full-time
- 88%
- Average full-time hours
- 45 a week
- Women
- 3%
- Median age
- 34
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 31.6% |
| VIC | 25.6% |
| QLD | 21.8% |
| WA | 10.8% |
| SA | 7% |
| TAS | 1.4% |
| ACT | 1% |
| NT | 0.9% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 0.3% |
| Bachelor degree | 1.9% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 2.8% |
| Certificate I-IV | 35.1% |
| Year 12 | 19.4% |
| Below Year 12 | 36.8% |
What a concreter actually does
Concreting runs on the truck. Most pours start at first light, around 6am, with the crew already on site setting up screeds, helicopters and bull floats. A typical residential slab pour for a single home takes a 3-4 person crew between 4 and 6 hours from first truck to final trowel. Larger commercial slabs can run all day with multiple agitator trucks and a concrete pump on site. Once the concrete hits, the crew has a clock - place, screed, bull-float, edge, then trowel as it sets. Stamped, exposed and decorative finishes add time and skill at the final stage. Concreting is one of the most weather-affected trades - rain ruins a pour, heat speeds up the set. Hot pours start at 4am, cold pours wait until the slab has cured. Days finish when the slab finishes, not at a clock time. Hands, knees, back and shoulders all take a beating from screed and trowel work. Pay is good once you're skilled but the body has to last the work.
Skills you'll use
- Reading slab and footing drawings
- Setting out and box-up of formwork and reinforcement
- Pour management and slump testing
- Screeding, bull-floating and trowelling
- Decorative finishing (exposed, stamped, polished)
- Use of laser levels and helicopters (power trowels)
- Weather and curing-window decision making
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 10 with maths
- 2Get a White Card (CPCWHS1001) for construction sites
- 3Sign a 3-year apprenticeship with a concreting contractor or builder
- 4Complete the CPC30320 Certificate III in Concreting through TAFE
- 5Add a working-at-heights and confined-space ticket if doing commercial work
- 6Optional - obtain a forklift, EWP and slewing crane licence for site versatility
Where you can work
- Residential builders on new estates
- Commercial slab specialists on warehouses, factories and supermarkets
- Civil contractors on roads, kerbs and infrastructure
- Tilt-panel specialist crews
- Polished and decorative finishing firms
- Mining and resources concrete contractors
- Self-employed crew owner with 3-4 staff
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Apprentice and tradesperson pay is set by the modern award or enterprise agreement that covers the job; check it with the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool.
- Apprentice3 yearsTypical roles: First-year apprentice concreter, Third-year apprentice concreter
- Tradesperson0-4 yearsTypical roles: Residential concreter, Commercial slab placer, Decorative concrete specialist
- Leading hand or crew boss5-10 yearsTypical roles: Leading hand, Concrete supervisor, Crew boss
- Subcontractor or business owner8+ yearsTypical roles: Subcontract concreting crew owner, Decorative concrete contractor
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You're physically strong and can keep going through a long pour
- You can read a slab and act fast when weather changes
- You don't mind early starts and weather-driven days
- You take pride in a flat, true slab finish
- You can work calmly when the truck is on its way
This might not suit you if
- Your back, knees or shoulders are unreliable
- You need a predictable weekly schedule
- You can't tolerate working outdoors in heat or cold
- You're allergic to wet-cement burns or dust irritation
Entry requirements
- Year 10 or equivalent
- A signed apprenticeship training contract with a host employer.
State licensing
Not nationally licensed. Some states impose contractor licensing once work exceeds a value threshold.
| State | Licensing authority |
|---|---|
| NSW | Building Commission NSW (general concreting contractor licence for residential work over $5,000) |
| VIC | No trade-specific licence listed |
| QLD | No trade-specific licence listed |
| SA | No trade-specific licence listed |
| WA | No trade-specific licence listed |
| TAS | No trade-specific licence listed |
| NT | No trade-specific licence listed |
| ACT | No trade-specific licence listed |