Saw Technician
A saw technician maintains, repairs, and calibrates industrial and commercial saws used in woodworking, metalworking, and manufacturing environments. They diagnose mechanical and electrical faults, replace worn components, and perform preventive maintenance to ensure saws operate safely and to specification.
What this job is
A saw technician maintains, repairs, and calibrates industrial and commercial saws used in woodworking, metalworking, and manufacturing environments. They diagnose mechanical and electrical faults, replace worn components, and perform preventive maintenance to ensure saws operate safely and to specification. The role requires knowledge of saw mechanics, electrical systems, and Australian workplace safety standards.
Are employers advertising this role?
Falling, down 12.2% 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
Diagnose mechanical faults in circular, band, reciprocating, and jigsaw equipment using test equipment and visual inspection. Remove, sharpen, and replace saw blades and cutting wheels using specialised sharpening equipment and gauges. Adjust saw blade tension, tracking, and run-out to specification using calibrated measuring instruments. Repair or replace bearings, pulleys, motors, and drive belts on saw frames and bases. Test electrical circuits and replace faulty switches, starters, and control panels on powered saws. Service coolant systems and lubrication points on industrial saws to prevent overheating and corrosion. Calibrate depth stops, angle guides, and feed mechanisms to ensure accuracy and safety. Inspect saws for compliance with Safe Work Australia guidelines and Australian Standards for machinery safety.
Who does this now
About 330 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3)
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation had trouble finding suitable applicants in 2025. Ratings are not the same everywhere. NT and ACT were rated not in shortage. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
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.
The honest hard part
You'll need to get a Certificate III or IV in a related field like engineering or mechanical technology first: that's 1 to 2 years of study. The work is physically demanding with repetitive hand and arm movements, and you'll be around loud machinery all day. Pay isn't high compared to other trades, and automation is gradually replacing some routine maintenance tasks.
Where the jobs are
Remote work is not possible for this hands-on role.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 3233, 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.
Skills
- Accurise gunscore
- Active Listeningcore
- Adjust cut sizescore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
- Incident Reportingcore
- Inventory Trackingcore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Process Documentationcore
- Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Workload Self-Managementcore
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
- Customer Needs Assessment
- ERP and Inventory Systems
- Process Improvement Identification
- Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
- Supplier Communication
- Team Collaboration
- Written Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- 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.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
Want a hand with what comes next? The 12-week Sprint covers your resume, LinkedIn and interview practice, with up to three coach reviews of a targeted resume or an application from an Australian career coach, for A$299 paid once. Before you decide anything, you can read who we are or send us a question.