Trade assistant salary in Australia
There is no single official figure for a trade assistant salary. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) does not publish a separate earnings estimate for this role. Instead, trade assistants are grouped into broader occupation categories such as Labourers or, in some cases, Technicians and Trades Workers. To understand where this pay sits, we compare it to the national full-time average, the median, and the minimum wage.
National averages and medians
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 puts full-time adult ordinary-time earnings at $2,083.70 per week. That works out to about $108,352 a year (multiplied by 52). This is the reference line used on this site. The full-time median, from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey of August 2025, is about $90,532 a year. For all employees (including part-time), the median is about $74,100 a year.
Trade assistants are often employed full-time, but many work on a casual or part-time basis. The ABS Labourers category – which includes many trade assistants – had average weekly total cash earnings of $1,067.70 in May 2025. That is about $55,520 a year, well below the national full-time average. However, more experienced trade assistants or those in specialised industries may earn closer to the Technicians and Trades Workers average of $1,756.90 per week ($91,359 a year).
Award rates and the minimum wage
Most trade assistants are covered by a modern award. The Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database sets minimum hourly rates, penalty rates, and allowances for each classification. From 1 July 2026, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a 38-hour week. Award minimums rose by 4.75% in the same decision. A trade assistant on the lowest award classification would earn at least this amount, but many awards have higher rates for experienced workers or for work in certain conditions.
Take-home pay sketch
To give a rough idea of what a trade assistant might take home after tax, consider someone earning the national minimum wage of $52,255 a year. Using the 2026–27 tax rates:
- Nil tax on the first $18,200
- 15% on the next $26,800 (to $45,000)
- 30% on the remaining $7,255
- Plus 2% Medicare levy
The total tax and Medicare levy would be about $8,300, leaving a net annual income of about $43,955, or roughly $845 per week. This is a sketch only. Actual take-home pay depends on your tax file number, any tax offsets, and whether you have private health insurance.
How trade assistant pay compares by state
Full-time average earnings vary across Australia. The highest full-time average is in the Australian Capital Territory at about $119,090 a year, followed by Western Australia at $115,825. Tasmania has the lowest at $96,008. Trade assistant pay in each state will reflect local labour market conditions and the relevant award rates. You can see the full state breakdown on the States and territories page.
Where to find more detail
If you want to see how a specific trade assistant salary stacks up against the national line, you can Place a salary on the line using our tool. For occupation-level medians, visit the Job medians page. For industry breakdowns, see Industry medians. The Guides section has more articles on award rates and take-home pay. To understand how the figures are set, read How the figures are set.
Summary
A trade assistant salary is not separately reported by the ABS, but the Labourers category gives a useful benchmark of about $55,520 a year. Award rates start from the national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour. The national full-time average of $108,352 is a useful reference point, but most trade assistants earn below that line. Use the tools on this site to compare any salary to the national average and see your estimated take-home pay.