Florist

A florist designs, creates, and arranges fresh and artificial flowers and foliage into displays, bouquets, and arrangements for customers in a retail florist shop, garden centre, or event venue. They source quality plant materials from wholesale suppliers, prepare flowers for arrangement, and advise customers on seasonal availability, colour schemes, and care requirements. The role combines horticultural knowledge with creative design and customer service in a fast-paced retail or event environment.

Select, condition, and prepare fresh flowers and foliage by trimming stems, removing lower leaves, and placing in water to maximise longevity. Design custom floral arrangements for weddings, events, funerals, and special occasions based on customer briefs, colour palettes, and theme requirements. Construct hand-tied bouquets, corsages, buttonholes, and sympathy arrangements using appropriate binding, wrapping, and presentation techniques. Arrange flowers in vases, urns, pedestals, and other vessels using floral foam, mechanics, and design principles to achieve balanced, visually appealing compositions. Advise customers on seasonal flower availability, stem lifespan, colour coordination, and care instructions for purchased arrangements. Process customer orders through florist software or point-of-sale systems and schedule delivery or collection times. Source wholesale flowers, foliage, and materials from suppliers, assess quality, and manage inventory to minimise waste and spoilage. Maintain shop displays with seasonal and promotional floral arrangements to attract customers and showcase design capabilities.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). 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.

Fresh flowers are perishable stock that wilts fast, so you're constantly dealing with waste and spoilage that eats into profits. Weekend and event work is the norm, not the exception. Pay tends to stay modest even with experience because retail margins are tight and competition from supermarket florists and online services keeps prices down.

Florist work concentrates in capital city metro areas where there's population density to support independent shops, garden centres, and event venues. Regional towns have some work but fewer opportunities. Remote work isn't an option for this role.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Customer Complaint Resolutioncore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Delivery Schedulingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Invoicing and Billing Administrationcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Supplier Communicationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Customer Order Tracking
• Digital Literacy
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Upselling and Cross-Selling
• Workload Self-Management
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• 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 Florist workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026