This post aims to help understand junior concrete worker base payment rates in Australia. The post was written in March 2023. Any specific rates or percentages should be reverified by the reader (you) when considering this information as they do change over time.
This post discusses information when considering employment under the Building and Construction Award as described by the FairWork Commission in Australia.
Jargon
For this article, the words worker and employee mean the same thing.
In this article we will split workers into two main classes: juniors and adults.
A junior worker is anyone under the age of 21.
An adult worker is anyone 21 years of age or older.
Junior Rates
Some job industry awards pay different rates to junior workers.
In Building and Construction this does not exist.
Proof: visit Junior pay rates – Fair Work Ombudsman webpage and scroll down to section titled Junior pay rates under awards. From the dropdown options select Building, Construction and on-site trades for the Industry and select Building and Construction for the Sub-industry. Click the Show information tailored for me button.
The result will show:
Based on what you’ve told us, it looks like you’re covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020].
There are no junior pay rates in the Building and Construction Award.
Juniors have to be paid the relevant pay rate for their classification. This means that all employees (except trainees and apprentices) are entitled to the same minimum rate regardless of their age.
fairwork.gov.au
Be aware that this does not apply to trainees or apprentices. That is a different topic.
Adult Rates
The Building and Construction industry award pay rate for adults will vary based on the worker’s experience and abilities.
Further information on the Building and Construction Award can be found here: Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020] – Fair Work Ombudsman
To find a pay rate for a worker, you can use this tool: P.A.C.T Pay Calculator – Find your award v0.1.112 (fairwork.gov.au)
Stepping through the calculator options, I searched for and selected:
- concrete worker for the employee’s occupation
- Building, Construction and on-site trades and Building and Construction for industry and sub-industry
- The search result was the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020)
- Level 1 (CW/ECW 1) (level a) to denote an entry level worker level (this would be the closest thing to a junior worker as defined by the Building and Construction award.)
- Casual for the type of employment, as this is often how labour is arranged in concreting
- General building and construction or metal and engineering construction for the sector
- Performing other work not listed for the type of work
- Yes for if the employee works in the building and construction industry
- No for if the employee is a leading hand
The result base pay rate for this type of worker was: $29.51
Takeaway
How much should an inexperienced junior worker in the building and construction industry be paid?
An entry level, junior or adult, casual worker (regardless of age), according to the Australian Building and Construction Industry Award rate should be paid a base rate of not less than $29.51 an hour.
Disclaimers & Attributes
All information in this post was considered accurate at time of writing, with links to information sources included. We are not business advisors or accountants. You should always verify information you find online with government authorities in your locale as rates and regulations may change annually.
Image by kstudio on Freepik