Joiner

A joiner designs, fabricates, and installs timber and wooden components for buildings and fit-outs, including doors, windows, staircases, cabinetry, and architectural joinery. They work from plans and specifications, using hand tools and machinery to cut, shape, and assemble timber pieces on-site and in workshops. The role requires precision craftsmanship and knowledge of timber properties, joinery techniques, and building codes to produce functional and aesthetic wooden structures.

Read and interpret architectural drawings, specifications, and work schedules to understand project requirements and dimensions. Select appropriate timber species and materials based on structural requirements, aesthetic considerations, and durability standards. Operate hand tools including chisels, hand planes, saws, and measuring instruments to shape and prepare timber components. Operate power tools and machinery such as table saws, routers, planers, and mortisers to cut joints, rebates, and mouldings. Construct and assemble wooden components including door frames, sashes, staircases, and built-in cabinetry using traditional and contemporary joinery techniques. Apply finishes such as stains, varnishes, and sealers to protect timber and achieve required aesthetic outcomes. Install completed joinery components on-site, ensuring accurate positioning, squareness, and compliance with building specifications. Hang and fit doors, windows, and hardware including hinges, locks, and latches to functional standards.

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.

Your hands and back will take a beating. You're on your feet all day, lifting heavy timber, repetitive cutting and sanding, and the injury risk is real: fingers near saws and routers, dust inhalation, chronic shoulder pain from overhead work. Income can be inconsistent if you're project-based, and the skill ceiling means you won't earn like a tradesperson in higher-demand fields unless you run your own business.

Work concentrates in major metros where residential and commercial fit-out projects are constant. Regional areas have smaller pockets around larger towns. Most jobs are on-site or in established workshops; remote work doesn't apply. The reality is construction follows population and development zones.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3312, 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.

• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Customer Needs Assessment
• Goal Setting and Planning
• Incident Reporting
• Inventory Tracking
• Process Improvement Identification
• Supplier Communication
• Written Communication

• 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.

Last updated: 30 October 2026