Labourers

Labourers not elsewhere classified perform unskilled manual work across diverse industries and settings, including construction sites, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and service sectors. They handle materials, assist skilled trades workers, maintain work areas, and perform labour-intensive tasks that do not require formal trade qualifications or specialised training. These workers operate under supervision and follow established work procedures and safety protocols.

Load, unload, and transport materials including rubble, soil, timber, metal, and packaging using manual handling techniques and mechanical aids such as trolleys and hand trucks. Prepare work sites by clearing debris, removing hazardous materials, and setting up temporary barriers and signage in accordance with Safe Work Australia guidelines. Assist skilled tradespeople by holding materials, passing tools, mixing compounds such as concrete and mortar, and performing preparatory tasks on construction or manufacturing sites. Operate handheld power tools such as angle grinders, jackhammers, and compactors under instruction and while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. Segregate waste materials for recycling, landfill, and hazardous disposal in compliance with local environmental and waste management regulations. Dig, excavate, and fill trenches and holes using shovels, spades, and mechanical equipment on construction sites. Clean and maintain work areas, equipment, and facilities by sweeping, washing, and removing spilled materials to maintain safe working conditions. Monitor and report workplace hazards, near-miss incidents, and unsafe behaviour to supervisors and participate in workplace inductions and safety briefings.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education (ABS skill level 5). 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 body takes a beating. Manual labour roles have high injury rates from lifting, repetitive strain, and site hazards. Pay is low with little progression unless you move into a trade or supervisory role. Work is often casual or seasonal, so income and hours fluctuate. You're also competing with younger workers who can handle the physical demands longer.

Construction sites concentrate in growing metros. Manufacturing work is spread across regional areas depending on local industries. Job availability follows construction cycles and economic activity in capital cities and their outer suburbs.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 8999, 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.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Check tickets at venue entrycore
• Clean amusement park facilitiescore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Managementcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Clean toilet facilities
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Goods Receipt Processing
• Inventory Tracking
• Multitasking
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Workflow Prioritisation

• 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