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Occupations / Painting Trades Workers

Painting Trades Workers

Painting Trades Workers apply paint, varnish, wallpaper and other finishes to protect, maintain and decorate surfaces of buildings and structures.

Trades & constructionLicensed workANZSCO 3322
$1,379/wkMedian full-time pay
50kPeople employed
+8% ▲Growth to 2035
86%Work full time
39Median 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 3322.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

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

erecting scaffolding and ladders, and placing drop sheets to protect adjacent areas from paint splatteringpreparing surfaces by removing old paint and wallpaper, fixing woodwork, filling holes and cracks, and smoothing and sealing surfacesselecting and preparing paints to required colours by mixing portions of pigment, oil, and thinning and drying additivesapplying paints, varnishes and stains to surfaces using brushes, rollers and sprayshanging wallpaper, matching patterns and trimming edgescleaning equipment and work areas
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 3322 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 4,300 more people in painting trades workers by 2035 ▲

The field shrank 4.3% in the year to February 2026, losing about 2,300 workers. Most of the jobs are in NSW and VIC, with QLD 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 3322.More about our sources: How we check our facts
53.8k2025
55.8k2030 PROJ.
58.1k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

Most painting trades workers came through a certificate or diploma. 57% did.

A university degree is rare here: 6% 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 3322. 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

CPC30620Certificate III

Certificate III in Painting and Decorating

Construction, Plumbing and Services Training Package · licensed work.

See 228 providers

Licensed work: several of these courses lead to work that also needs a state or territory licence. Training is the first step; licensing rules are set by each state.

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

Jobs open right now

50k 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 3322.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW14.7k
VIC12.1k
QLD11.2k
WA4.7k
SA3.5k
TAS1.5k
ACT0.8k
NT0.3k

Occupations near this one

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