Mushroom Picker
A mushroom picker harvests cultivated or wild mushrooms in controlled growing environments, outdoor settings, or forests. They identify mushrooms at optimal maturity, hand-pick or cut them according to quality standards, and prepare harvested produce for grading and packing.
What this job is
A mushroom picker harvests cultivated or wild mushrooms in controlled growing environments, outdoor settings, or forests. They identify mushrooms at optimal maturity, hand-pick or cut them according to quality standards, and prepare harvested produce for grading and packing. The role requires knowledge of mushroom varieties, growing conditions, and food safety practices.
Are employers advertising this role?
Falling, down 78.1% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Identify mushroom varieties and assess maturity based on cap size, stem length, and firmness standards. Hand-pick or cut mushrooms at the base using knives or specialised picking tools to prevent damage to fruiting bodies. Inspect harvested mushrooms for defects, bruising, mould, or pest damage and discard substandard specimens. Sort mushrooms by variety, size grade, and quality into collection baskets or containers. Transport harvested mushrooms to packing sheds or processing areas while minimising bruising and contamination. Follow hygiene and food safety protocols including hand washing, wearing clean gloves, and preventing soil or debris contact. Record harvest volumes, varieties picked, and dates on picking sheets or digital systems for yield tracking. Monitor growing area conditions including humidity, temperature, and lighting to assess readiness for harvesting.
Who does this now
About 1,300 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Certificate I or compulsory secondary education (ABS skill level 5)
Requirements
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 honest hard part
The work is repetitive hand-picking in humid, cool growing sheds for hours at a time, which can strain your back, hands and wrists. Pay is typically casual and seasonal with no guaranteed hours, so income can be unpredictable.
Where the jobs are
Work concentrates in intensive indoor farms and some regional outdoor operations. Jobs are rarely remote and most positions are casual or seasonal, peaking in cooler months.
Skills
- Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
- Carry picking work aidscore
- Incident Reportingcore
- Inventory Trackingcore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Team Collaborationcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Workload Self-Managementcore
- Continuous Learning and Upskilling
- Goods Receipt Processing
- Health Terminology Literacy
- Multitasking
- Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
- Stock Counting and Stocktake
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- 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.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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