Painter
Painters prepare and coat the surfaces of buildings and other structures, protecting them from the weather and changing how they look.
- Median salary
- $71,700
3.8%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 50,000
0.4%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +7.9%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 42/wk
+2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Painters work on residential, commercial and industrial buildings, and most move between sites as subcontractors rather than staying with one employer. Surface preparation takes up more of the day than the painting itself, because sanding, filling and priming decide whether the final coat holds up. The trade is learned through a Certificate III apprenticeship, and plenty of qualified painters end up working for themselves or running a small crew.
How much do painters earn?
The median full-time salary for a painter is $71,700 per annum, before tax, up $14,800 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on whether you work for wages or as a subcontractor, since subbies quote per job and carry their own insurance, tools and materials, so a badly priced job comes straight out of their own pocket. Award-covered employees on commercial sites generally earn more than those doing domestic repaints, and spray application or decorative and heritage work can attract a premium. Where you live matters less than the sector you work in.
What does a painter do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Sanding, filling and priming walls and trim before any topcoat goes on, since the finish is only as good as the surface underneath
- Cutting in neat edges around ceilings, cornices and window frames by hand, which is the part clients notice first
- Matching colours to a client's sample, then adjusting on site when the light or the surface changes how the colour reads
- Setting up and shifting ladders, planks and scaffolds through the day, with drop sheets over floors and furniture
- Masking windows, fittings and floors, then returning once the coat dries to check it under proper light and touch up anything that doesn't hold
What skills do painters need?
Employers look for hand and power tool work, worksite safety management, building codes and standards, backed by Paint brush and roller fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Hand and power tool work
- Worksite safety management
- Building codes and standards
Software and tools
- Paint brush and roller
- Paint spraying equipment
- Sanding equipment
- Scaffolding and ladders
- Surface preparation tools
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Customer service
Is the job growing?
About 50,000 people work as painters in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 7.9% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a painter?
Here's the path most painters take, step by step.
- 1Get a White Card
General construction induction training is required before you can work on a site anywhere in Australia, and the course takes about a day.
- 2Find an apprenticeship
A Certificate III in Painting and Decorating (CPC30620) is the standard qualification, usually three to four years and paid from the first day, so you need an employer willing to take you on as an apprentice.
- 3Finish the trade qualification
You spend most of the week on site and the rest at TAFE or a private provider, covering surface preparation, coating systems, spraying and decorative finishes.
- 4Check the licensing rules in your state
Licensing varies by state. In New South Wales, for example, residential painting work above a set value needs a contractor licence, while other states rely on the trade qualification alone.
- 5Specialise or go out on your own
Qualified painters move into spray application, heritage and decorative work or commercial sites, or set up their own business, which brings quoting, insurance and materials costs with it.
Ready to apply as a painter?
Whether you're working toward becoming a painter or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a painter move to?
Moving into Vehicle Spray Painter typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $26,100 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Spray Painter Painters bring surface preparation and coating skills to vehicle refinishing, but need a separate automotive spray painting apprenticeship.Known move | +$26,100 | 22% | requalify |
| Plasterer Painters bring surface preparation and finishing skills to plastering, though plastering requires its own apprenticeship or retraining.Known move | +$24,000 | 58% | reskill |
| Carpenter Painters bring building site awareness and finishing skills, but carpentry requires a separate apprenticeship or substantial retraining.Known move | +$19,800 | 45% | reskill |
| Site Supervisor Painters bring trade experience and knowledge of finishes to site supervision, with a building certificate or diploma needed.Known move | +$14,100 | 38% | reskill |
| Industrial Spray Painter Painters bring spray application and surface preparation skills to industrial coating work, with study in industrial painting methods.Known move | +$100 | 30% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a painter?
The typical painter is 39 years old; 92% are men, 86% work full-time, and full-timers average 42 hours a week.
- 39
- Median age
- 8%
- Female share
- 86%
- Full-time
- +2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a painter?
Painting is physical work on your feet, up ladders and often outdoors, with the day paced by drying times, weather and the next job on the schedule. Much of the satisfaction comes from a visible result: a room or a facade that looked rough in the morning reads clean and sharp by the afternoon. The trade suits people who like working with their hands, can hold a steady standard when nobody is watching, and don't mind moving between sites.
What people like
- You can see what you did. At the end of a day there is a wall, a room or a whole house that looks different because of your work, which is rare in jobs where the output is a document.
- Changing employer is easy. Because painters are usually hired site by site, a poor boss or a quiet patch is a matter of taking the next job rather than resigning and starting over.
- The training pays as you go. An apprenticeship is a paid job from the first week, so you finish qualified without the HECS debt that comes with a degree pathway.
- Room to run your own business. Once qualified, many painters start quoting their own jobs and building a client list, and that is often where earnings grow.
What people find hard
- Weather and drying times set the schedule. Rain stops exterior work and cold or humid days stretch drying times, so a job that should take three days can push into the next week.
- It wears on the body. Sanding, rolling and overhead work load the shoulders, wrists and knees, and most painters carry some soreness through the week.
- The flaws are what people notice. A finish is judged up close and against the light, so the one patch that dried unevenly is the thing the client points at.
- Quoting eats into unpaid time. Subcontractors price jobs in the evening and pay for insurance, tools and materials up front, so the admin side of the trade is done on their own time.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ painters?
Construction employs the largest share of painters.
Top employing industries
- 1Construction
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Certificate III/IV | 51.7% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 33.2% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 4.8% | |
| Bachelor degree | 4.2% | |
| Postgraduate | 1.4% |
Will AI replace painters?
Painters apply coatings by hand to real surfaces, so the core of the job sits outside what automation can take on. The exposure is around the work: estimating software that measures a job from photos or plans, colour-matching apps and job-management tools that cut the admin time on each project. That shifts how jobs are priced and scheduled more than what happens on the wall.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Cutting in and rolling wallsNeat edges around cornices and frames and an even finish across a wall are hand skills that have not transferred to machines.35%low
- Surface preparation and sandingFilling, sanding and priming are done with hand and power tools on the actual wall, and the pace is set by drying times rather than software.30%low
- Spray application and coating systemsAirless and HVLP sprayers are already standard on site, and product data sheets are now digital, but setting up the gun for a particular surface and product remains a trade call.20%moderate
- Quoting, scheduling and client updatesEstimating apps can measure rooms from photos or plans and draft a quote, and job-management tools track progress and send updates, which takes hours off the paperwork.15%high
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from painter work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Carpenter
Solid skill overlap (45%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Plasterer
Solid skill overlap (58%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a painter
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do painters earn in Australia?
Full-time painters earn a median of $71,700 per year before tax. Subcontractors sell their time job by job, so their take-home varies with how well each job is quoted, and wages or day rates on commercial sites tend to sit above domestic repainting work.
How do you become a painter in Australia?
Most people start with a Certificate III in Painting and Decorating (CPC30620) apprenticeship, which takes about three to four years and is paid from the beginning. You need a White Card before you can work on a construction site, and the licensing rules for domestic work differ by state.
Are painters in demand in Australia?
Painters are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 7.9% over the decade to 2035. For someone starting out, that means apprenticeships and jobs are there to be found in most markets, with the volume of work following the building cycle.
Will AI replace painters?
The painting itself is unlikely to be automated, because a coating still has to be applied to a real surface by hand, roller or spray gun. Where AI shows up is the office side: estimating software that measures a job from photos or plans and drafts a quote, colour-matching tools and job-management apps that handle scheduling and client updates.
What can painters move into?
Painting skills carry into nearby trades: vehicle spray painting uses the same preparation and coating work and pays $26,100 more, though it needs a separate automotive apprenticeship. Plastering pays $24,000 more and shares the surface preparation and finishing side, and site supervisor roles pay $14,100 more with a building certificate or diploma behind them. Many painters also go out on their own or build a small crew once qualified, which is often where earnings grow.
Do you need to be good at art to be a painter?
No. Trade painting is about surface preparation, straight edges and knowing which coating suits which surface rather than drawing ability. The colour work is practical: matching a sample, checking it under the light of the room, and adjusting when it reads differently on the wall.
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