Packer (General)

A Packer assembles, wraps, and packages products for storage, transport, or retail sale in warehouses, factories, or distribution centres. They operate packaging machinery, select appropriate materials, and ensure products meet quality and safety standards before dispatch. The role requires attention to detail, speed, and compliance with workplace health and safety protocols.

Operate packaging machinery such as shrink wrappers, labellers, and automated bagging systems to package products at required speed and volume. Select and prepare appropriate packaging materials including boxes, foam, bubble wrap, tissue paper, and tape based on product specifications. Inspect products for defects or damage before packing and reject non-conforming items according to quality standards. Apply product labels, barcodes, and tracking information to packaged items using handheld or automated label applicators. Palletise and stack packaged products according to weight limits, stability requirements, and customer specifications. Secure loads using shrink wrap, strapping, or other fastening methods to ensure stability during transport. Monitor packaging lines for jams, misaligns, or malfunctions and perform basic troubleshooting or alert supervisors. Record production data such as units packed, material usage, and equipment downtime on shift logs or warehouse management systems.

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 physically demanding and repetitive, with long shifts standing at conveyor lines doing the same motions. Pay is modest and doesn't increase much with experience. Automation may reduce manual packing roles, especially in large distribution centres, so job security can be shaky. You'll also deal with tight production targets and shift work including early starts and weekends.

Regional areas have some jobs in food processing and manufacturing hubs, but far fewer. Remote work isn't an option for this role. Jobs are concentrated in logistics companies, e-commerce fulfilment centres, food and beverage factories, and retail distribution networks.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 8321, 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
• Check quality of products on the production linecore
• Clean food and beverage machinerycore
• Goods Receipt Processingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Stock Counting and Stocktakecore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Carry out checks of production plant equipment
• Check quality of raw materials
• Data Entry and Accuracy
• Incident Reporting
• Process Improvement Identification
• Returns Processing
• Risk Identification
• Verbal Communication
• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

• 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