Bricklayer salary in Australia

What a qualified bricklayer earns

The government's Your Career profile pulls its pay data from Jobs and Skills Australia, which uses the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours. On that data, median full-time earnings for a bricklayer sit at around $2,300 a week, or roughly $120,000 a year, before tax.

Treat that as a guide, not a fixed wage. It is a middle figure: half earn more, half earn less. These numbers get updated as fresh survey data comes through, so always check the live profile for the current figure. Your own pay depends on where you work, how fast you lay, and whether you are on wages or running your own business.

What moves the pay up: experience and speed

When you first come off your tools as a qualified brickie, you start near the bottom of the range. The money climbs as you get quicker and cleaner.

Bricklaying rewards output. A brickie who can lay a high number of bricks a day, straight and to line, is worth a lot more than someone plodding along. Many brickies get paid by the brick (piece rates) rather than a flat wage, so speed and quality turn straight into dollars.

State, overtime and site allowances

Where you work matters. Rates move with local demand, and a boom in one state can push pay well above another. Big commercial and civil jobs usually pay more than small residential work.

On top of your base rate, the Building and Construction General On-site Award and many enterprise agreements add allowances: a tool allowance if you supply your own gear, plus site, height, dirt and travel allowances depending on the job. Overtime and weekend work stack on penalty rates. On a busy site those extras can add a serious chunk to your take-home.

Specialisation, your own business and FIFO

Some of the biggest earners specialise. Heritage and restoration work, feature brickwork, blockwork and stonemasonry all command a premium because fewer people can do them well.

Going out on your own is where plenty of brickies lift their income. Subcontracting your own crew, quoting jobs and running the books means you keep the margin instead of the boss. It comes with more risk, quieter patches and paperwork, but the ceiling is higher.

Mining, resources and FIFO work can pay well above city rates for the right jobs, thanks to remote allowances and long rosters. The trade-off is time away from home and work that comes and goes with the projects.

What you earn while you are an apprentice

As an apprentice you earn while you learn, but on a training wage that is lower than a qualified brickie. Your pay is set by the relevant modern award, usually the Building and Construction General On-site Award, and it steps up each year of your apprenticeship as you move through the stages.

Your rate also depends on things like your age, whether you are adult or junior, and your competency progress. Because these rates change every year and vary by your situation, the honest answer is to look yours up. Use the free Fair Work Pay Calculator to get the exact rate for your award, year and state. It only takes a minute and it is the real figure, not a guess.

How bricklaying compares to other trades

On the government data, bricklaying stacks up well against many other trades. Median full-time earnings are strong compared with the all-jobs average, and sit in a similar band to trades like carpentry, plumbing and electrical work once you factor in overtime and piece rates.

Bricklaying is physical and hard on the body over the years, so the smart move is to earn well while you are quick, then think about where you head next: supervising, running jobs, or your own business.

How to earn more over a career

• •Get fast and neat. Speed and clean work are what piece rates and good bosses pay for.
• •Chase the higher-value work: commercial, civil, heritage, feature brickwork and blockwork.
• •Pick up tickets and skills that open doors, like supervising, estimating or a builder's licence.
• •Consider subcontracting or running your own crew once you have the reputation and the contacts.
• •Weigh up mining, resources or FIFO stints for a few high-earning years if the lifestyle suits.
• •Always check your award rate and allowances on the Fair Work Pay Calculator so you are never underpaid.