Small Engine Technician
A small engine technician diagnoses, repairs, and maintains petrol and diesel engines under 25 kW used in garden equipment, small generators, pressure washers, and portable machinery. Working in service workshops or on-site, they perform engine overhauls, component replacement, and troubleshooting using workshop manuals, diagnostic tools, and hand and power tools.
What this job is
A small engine technician diagnoses, repairs, and maintains petrol and diesel engines under 25 kW used in garden equipment, small generators, pressure washers, and portable machinery. Working in service workshops or on-site, they perform engine overhauls, component replacement, and troubleshooting using workshop manuals, diagnostic tools, and hand and power tools.
Are employers advertising this role?
Steady, down 5.5% 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 engine faults using compression testers, spark plug analysers, and fuel system diagnostic equipment. Remove and disassemble small engines from equipment frames using appropriate hand tools and lifting equipment. Inspect cylinder heads, pistons, crankshafts, and valve trains for wear or damage against manufacturer specifications. Replace or recondition components including carburettors, fuel pumps, ignition coils, and gaskets. Reassemble engines and perform bench testing with fuel and ignition systems before reinstalling into equipment. Tune carburettors and adjust idle speeds, choke settings, and throttle cable tension according to engine specifications. Service air filters, fuel filters, and spark plugs on small engines in operating equipment. Test safety switches, kill switches, and automatic shutdown systems on lawn mowers and portable equipment.
Who does this now
About 940 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)
Registration or licensing may be required.
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation had trouble finding suitable applicants in 2025. 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
The work is seasonal and weather-dependent, so hours can swing wildly between quiet winter months and frantic summer demand. Repetitive strain injuries from hand tool work are common.
Where the jobs are
In reality, jobs concentrate in outer suburbs and regional centres where garden equipment dealers, lawnmower shops, and hire companies operate. Most work is workshop-based, not remote.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 3212, 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
- Active Listeningcore
- Adapt to new technology used in carscore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Car controlscore
- Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
- Customer Needs Assessmentcore
- Inventory Trackingcore
- Invoicing and Billing Administrationcore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
- Record Managementcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Workload Self-Managementcore
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
- Complaint Handling
- Digital Literacy
- Incident Reporting
- Process Improvement Identification
- Purchase Order Processing
- Risk Identification
- Supplier Communication
- 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
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