Picture Framer

A Picture Framer designs, assembles, and finishes frames for artworks, photographs, textiles, and memorabilia in a workshop or retail setting. They select appropriate framing materials, prepare artwork for mounting, and construct custom frames using hand tools and machinery to preserve and display items according to client specifications and conservation standards.

Consult with customers to determine framing requirements, artwork dimensions, aesthetic preferences, and budget constraints. Select appropriate frame mouldings, mat boards, backing materials, and glazing (glass or acrylic) based on artwork type and conservation needs. Measure and cut mat boards using mat cutters and bevelled cutters to create apertures and decorative borders. Cut glass or acrylic glazing using glass cutters and straight edges to fit frame dimensions. Prepare artwork for mounting by cleaning, assessing condition, and selecting conservation-appropriate adhesives and mounting techniques. Mount artworks using dry-mounting presses, hinging methods, or conservation-grade adhesives depending on artwork material and permanence requirements. Assemble frame components including moulding, mat boards, artwork, backing, and glazing using frame assembly tables and joining techniques. Cut and join frame mouldings using mitre saws, chop saws, or manual cutting tools at precise 45-degree angles.

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.

Demand is thin and unpredictable. Most work comes through small independent shops or gallery retail, and customer spending on framing drops fast during economic downturns. You'll be competing with cheap online framers and big-box stores. Pay is modest and unlikely to climb much without owning your own business. Repetitive precision work can wear on wrists and eyes.

Regional centres have fewer opportunities. Most positions are in small independent framing workshops rather than chains, and remote work is not viable.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3942, 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
• Apply colour coatscore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Invoicing and Billing Administrationcore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Supplier Communicationcore
• Time Managementcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Carve materials
• Clean furniture
• Complaint Handling
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Digital Literacy
• Process Improvement Identification
• Purchase Order Processing
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• 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