Hairdresser salary in Australia
Quick answer
The Australian Government's Your Career profile lists average earnings for hairdressers at around $1,121 per week, below the all-jobs average, but commission, a strong client book, chair rental and ownership push many well past the base. Apprentice pay is set by the Hair and Beauty Industry Award: check your exact rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.
Hairdressing pay has two honest halves. The base wages, especially during the apprenticeship, are low compared with most trades, and pretending otherwise helps nobody. But hairdressing is also one of the few trades where your income is directly tied to how much clients want you specifically, which means commission, tips, chair rental and ownership create a much wider ceiling than the averages suggest. Here is how the money actually works.
What you get paid as an apprentice
Always check your official rate with the Fair Work Pay Calculator (opens in a new tab). These are minimum award rates for full-time apprentices who started on or after 1 January 2014. Your pay can be higher under an enterprise agreement or your contract, and it depends on your age, your year, whether you finished Year 12 and the work you do.
Hair and Beauty Industry Award (MA000005). Minimum pay for a full-time apprentice from 1 July 2026.
| Year | Junior, no Year 12 | Junior, finished Year 12 | Adult (21+ at start) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $559.55/wk$14.73/hr | $615.51/wk$16.20/hr | $895.28/wk$23.56/hr |
| 2nd year | $671.46/wk$17.67/hr | $727.42/wk$19.14/hr | $1,056.80/wk$27.81/hr |
| 3rd year | $861.71/wk$22.68/hr | $861.71/wk$22.68/hr | $1,056.80/wk$27.81/hr |
| 4th year | $1,007.19/wk$26.51/hr | $1,007.19/wk$26.51/hr | $1,056.80/wk$27.81/hr |
How these rates work, and what can change yours +
Percentage of the 'standard rate', defined as the minimum weekly rate for a Hair and beauty employee Level 3 (cl. 2, cl. 18.1). Adult apprentices: 1st year the greater of 80% of the standard rate or the junior rate; 2nd and later years the greater of the lowest adult rate in cl. 17.1 (Level 1) or the junior rate (cl. 18.4).
- •The award labels the 4th year 'if applicable': most hairdressing apprenticeships (Certificate III in Hairdressing) are nominally 3 years, so many apprentices finish at the 3rd year rate.
- •This award's apprentice tables do not split by start date (no pre-2014 table), unlike the other awards here.
- •Apprentices who completed a pre-apprenticeship progress faster: the pay guide shows 6-monthly steps. Did not finish Year 12: 0-6 months $559.55/$14.73, 7-12 months $615.51/$16.20, 13-18 months $671.46/$17.67, 19-30 months $861.71/$22.68. Finished Year 12: 0-6 and 7-12 months $615.51/$16.20, 13-18 months $727.42/$19.14, 19-30 months $861.71/$22.68. Adult: 0-12 months $895.28/$23.56, 13-30 months $1,056.80/$27.81.
- •Adult apprentice: 21 or over at the start. An existing full-time employee of 6+ months (or part-time/regular casual of 12+ months) keeps their previous classification rate (cl. 18.4(c)-(d)).
- •Tool allowance $10.52 per week if the employer requires the employee to provide their own tools, including scissors (cl. 20.8). Employer reimburses RTO fees and required textbooks (cl. 12.5) and reasonable travel for overnight block release (cl. 12.6).
- •School-based apprentices: Schedule E (junior/adult hourly rates apply to total hours including off-the-job training time).
- •Beauty therapy apprentices have their own tables (cl. 18.2) with the same percentages; not covered here.
Source: Fair Work pay guide, MA000005 (July 2026) (opens in a new tab), Hair and Beauty Industry Award text (MA000005) (opens in a new tab).
What qualified hairdressers earn
The government's Your Career occupation profile for hairdressers lists average earnings around $1,121 per week, and Jobs and Skills Australia's profile of the same occupation shows median weekly earnings of $1,209 for the broader hairdresser group. Both sit below the all-jobs average, and both update over time, so check the live profiles rather than trusting any fixed number, including this one. Also note nearly half the workforce is part time, which drags weekly averages down: full-time senior stylists in busy salons sit above these figures.
What moves the number
- •Commission: many salons pay a percentage of the services and retail you bring in above a threshold, so a busy stylist with high rebooking out-earns their base significantly
- •Your client book: regulars who ask for you by name are your real asset, they follow you between salons and justify raises
- •Renting a chair: experienced stylists pay a salon a fixed rent or percentage and keep the rest, effectively running a business inside someone else's shop
- •Ownership: salon owners take business profit rather than a wage, with all the risk and rent that implies
- •Specialisation: strong colourists, extension specialists and barbers with a reputation charge premium prices
- •Location and salon tier: a high-end city salon and a quiet regional shop price the same haircut very differently
Apprentice pay, explained without numbers
Apprentice rates come from the Hair and Beauty Industry Award (MA000005) and depend on three things: which year of the apprenticeship you are in, whether you are a junior or an adult apprentice (21 or older when you start), and whether you are school-based. Rates rise with each stage and change every year, so the only figure worth trusting is the one the Fair Work Pay Calculator gives you for your own situation. Run your details through it when you start and again after every pay rise or birthday, and check your payslip against it. Underpayment happens in this industry, and the calculator is your evidence.
How it compares with other trades, honestly
Straight comparison: hairdressing apprentices and qualified hairdressers earn less on average than electricians, plumbers and most construction trades, and the gap is real at every stage. What hairdressing offers instead is work in every town, an income ceiling tied to your own clientele rather than an hourly rate, low tool costs, a clear path to owning a business with modest capital, and a job that is physically easier on the body than site work, though standing all day is no joke. If maximum wage is your only measure, pick another trade. If you want a people-facing craft with a real business path, this one holds up.
Making the money work
Practical moves that raise hairdressing income: rebook every client before they leave, learn colour deeply because it is the high-margin work, build a social media portfolio from your first year (with client permission), and track your own figures so you can negotiate from evidence at review time. Superannuation applies from your first apprentice payslip, so check it is actually being paid. And once qualified, revisit your rate against the award and the market yearly: loyalty is good, but unreviewed pay quietly erodes.
Sources and official links
Straight from the source. These open in a new tab.
- Your Career: Hairdresser occupation profile (opens in a new tab)
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Hairdressers (ANZSCO 3911) (opens in a new tab)
- Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 (MA000005) (opens in a new tab)
- Fair Work Pay Calculator (opens in a new tab)
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Apprentice and trainee pay rates (opens in a new tab)
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