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Engineering Production Workers

Engineering Production Workers perform a range of production process tasks to refine and treat metals and mineral ore, fire ceramics, and operate plant to produce and finish metal products such as rods, tubing and structural shapes, and moulds for casting.

ManufacturingLicensed workANZSCO 7123
$1,656/wkMedian full-time pay
20kPeople employed
+12% ▲Growth to 2035
91%Work full time
41Median 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 7123.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

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

interpreting engineering production drawingssetting up, operating and adjusting production plant to shape metal stock and castings and cut sheet metaloperating welding and electroplating plantoperating furnaces and quenching plant to smelt and change the structure of metalsusing kilns and ovens to fire ceramicsprocessing mineral ore and operating metal rolling plant
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 7123 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 2,700 more people in engineering production workers by 2035 ▲

The field shrank 2.2% in the year to February 2026, losing about 400 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 7123.More about our sources: How we check our facts
23k2025
24.5k2030 PROJ.
25.7k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

There is no single way in. 41% trained through VET, 7% hold a degree.

Both paths are common in this field. 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 7123. 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

RII30420Certificate III

Certificate III in Resource Processing

Resources and Infrastructure Industry Training Package · licensed work.

See 35 providers
22632VICCertificate II

Certificate II in Engineering Studies

See 13 providers
52904WACertificate III

Certificate III in Defence Industry Pathways

See 2 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

20k 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 7123.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW6.7k
QLD3.8k
VIC3.7k
WA3.5k
SA2.2k
TAS0.8k
ACT0.2k
NT0.1k

Occupations near this one

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