Metal Engineering Process Worker

A metal engineering process worker operates machinery and equipment in manufacturing environments to shape, form, join, or finish metal components according to engineering specifications. They follow production schedules and technical drawings, monitor equipment performance, and perform routine maintenance to ensure output meets quality and safety standards. The role is typically carried out in factories, foundries, or fabrication workshops under the direction of supervisors or process engineers.

Operate metal processing machinery such as presses, shears, lathes, or rolling mills to cut, shape, or form metal stock according to engineering drawings and specifications. Set up and calibrate machine parameters including pressure, temperature, speed, and feed rates using control panels or programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Load and unload raw metal materials, blanks, or components into machinery using lifting equipment, hand tools, or automated feeders. Monitor machine operation and product output visually and using gauges or digital readouts to detect defects, misalignment, or process deviations. Perform in-process quality checks including dimensional measurement, surface inspection, and material consistency verification using callipers, micrometers, or hardness testers. Remove finished or semi-finished metal components from machinery and stack, sort, or transport them to designated work areas or storage. Clean, lubricate, and perform basic preventive maintenance on machinery including oil changes, filter replacement, and component inspection. Report equipment malfunctions, product quality issues, or safety hazards to supervisors and assist with troubleshooting.

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.

The work is repetitive and physically demanding with limited upward mobility. You'll spend shifts standing at machinery doing the same tasks, and without moving into supervision or specialisation, your wages will hit a ceiling. Factory noise, heat, and injury risk from heavy machinery are real daily hazards. Automation may replace some basic machine minding roles over time.

The manufacturing heartland is clearly metro-industrial areas and nearby regions with established factories.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 8391, 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
• Goods Receipt Processingcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Managementcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Active Listening
• Calculate materials to build equipment
• Clean building floors
• Clean equipment
• Clean surfaces
• Cleaning products
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Multitasking
• Process Improvement Identification
• Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
• 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 Metal Engineering Process Worker move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026