Engineering Production Worker

An engineering production worker operates, monitors, and maintains industrial machinery and equipment on manufacturing production lines in factories and engineering workshops. They set up machines according to specifications, load materials, monitor production parameters, and perform routine maintenance and adjustments to ensure consistent output quality and safety compliance. The role requires adherence to workplace safety standards, quality control procedures, and production schedules within an Australian manufacturing or engineering environment.

Set up and configure machinery and equipment according to production specifications, technical drawings, and machine manuals. Load raw materials, components, or workpieces into machines and remove finished products or parts. Monitor machine operation, production gauges, digital displays, and output quality throughout shifts. Measure and inspect finished components using calipers, micrometers, gauges, or coordinate measuring machines to verify conformance to specifications. Adjust machine parameters including speed, pressure, temperature, or feed rates to optimise production and maintain tolerances. Perform routine maintenance tasks including cleaning, lubricating, replacing worn parts, and replacing cutting tools or dies. Identify and report equipment faults, unusual vibrations, sounds, or performance deviations to supervisors or maintenance technicians. Complete production records, quality logs, and shift handover documentation as required by the manufacturing facility.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is repetitive and physically demanding with long stretches of monotony broken by sudden problem-solving pressure. You'll stand for entire shifts, repeat the same adjustments and checks hundreds of times, and deal with noise and heat. Pay plateaus quickly without moving into supervision or trades. Automation may take over more of this work over time.

Jobs concentrate in established industrial zones near major cities rather than regional areas. Remote work is not possible. Growth in this sector is slow.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 7123, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Goods Receipt Processingcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Advise on machinery malfunctions
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Data Entry and Accuracy
• ERP and Inventory Systems
• Process Documentation
• Process Improvement Identification
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Engineering Production Worker move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026