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Occupations / Sheetmetal Trades Workers

Sheetmetal Trades Workers

Sheetmetal Trades Workers mark out, shape, form and join sheetmetal and other materials to make products and components.

Trades & constructionANZSCO 3222
4,097People employed
+10% ▲Growth to 2035
100%Work full time
28Median age
Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 3222.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

The main tasks of this occupation, from the national occupation standard.

studying blueprints, drawings and specifications to determine job, material and equipment requirementsselecting metal stock, such as stainless steel, galvanised iron, mild steel, aluminium and copper, and checking sizes, gauges and other dimensions of metal stock against specificationsmarking out metal stock with reference points and lines, using templates, gauges and other measuring instrumentscutting metal stock along guidelines using hand and power shears, guillotines and drillsshaping and forming cut metal stock into products using folding and bending machines, rollers, presses and hammersfitting and assembling components into final products by welding, riveting, soldering, brazing and otherwise joining
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 3222 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 600 more people in sheetmetal trades workers by 2035 ▲

The field shrank 11.7% in the year to February 2026, losing about 500 workers. Most of the jobs are in NSW and QLD, with VIC third.

Source: JSA · ABS, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 3222.More about our sources: How we check our facts
5.7k2025
6k2030 PROJ.
6.3k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

Most sheetmetal trades workers came through a certificate or diploma. 65% did.

A university degree is rare here: 2% hold one. The trade qualification is the standard way in. These are the nationally recognised courses mapped to this occupation, with the number of registered training providers that offer each one.

Source: JSA · training.gov.auEducation split: JSA (Jobs and Skills Australia) occupation profile, using ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Census data, ANZSCO 3222. Qualification mapping and provider counts: training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. Listed providers are current registered training providers (private providers and TAFE institutes).More about our sources: How we check our facts

Nationally recognised training · most offered first

MEM31925Certificate III

Certificate III in Engineering - Fabrication Trade

Manufacturing and Engineering.

See 64 providers
MSM30216Certificate III

Certificate III in Surface Preparation and Coating Application

Manufacturing Training Package.

See 6 providers

Providers are shown in A-Z order on each course page. A listing is not a recommendation.

Jobs open right now

4,097 Australians do this work. See who is hiring this month.

Search job ads by state

Each link opens seek.com.au in a new tab, showing ads posted in the last month. SEEK is a job site; we link there because that is where most Australian jobs are advertised. We have no commercial relationship with SEEK.

Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26State chart shows people employed, not current job ads. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 3222.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW1.5k
QLD1.1k
VIC1.1k
WA0.9k
SA0.3k
NT0.2k
TAS0.1k
ACT0.1k