What tradies can earn at different points of their careers and the suburbs/regions they earn most

More young Victorians are opting to take up a trade and it’s easy to see why. We reveal what apprentices and trades earn most and where the biggest bucks roll in.

More young Victorians are taking up trade apprenticeships, for good reason.

Victoria’s apprentice workforce is continuing to climb as the construction industry welcomes a new generation of tradies in the post-pandemic era.

A statistical report on apprentices and trainees released this week by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows the state’s number of apprenticeship commencements jumped 31.7 per cent in 2021, while the overall number of those in training climbed 15.8 per cent.

Victoria is tracking well ahead of NSW, which experienced a 10.7 per cent increase in commencements and an overall apprentice rise of 11.4 per cent.

But Queensland, SA and WA were the top states in the country for new apprentices, while Victoria’s increase of cancellations and withdrawals – 38.8 per cent – put a dampener on the state’s overall student-tradie hike.

It comes as plumbers and electricians continue to rule the roost for Victoria’s top hourly rates, with carpenters close behind.

The trio of trades are relatively even when it comes to apprentices’ minimum wage, although it’s believed many construction businesses are having to pay far more to attract and retain young workers because there are still industry shortages despite 2021’s favourable numbers.

Victoria’s population growth – government modelling shows the state’s number of households is projected to almost double to 4.6m by 2056 – has led to an infrastructure and home-building boom, meaning apprentice demand will continue to blossom, particularly while the country recovers from the Covid-induced skilled labour shortage from overseas.

Originally published as What tradies can earn at different points of their careers and the suburbs/regions they earn most