How to become an Earthmoving Labourer
Performs routine tasks in excavating earth, clearing and levelling sites, and digging irrigation channels.
Main tasks
- Performs routine tasks to manually excavate and move earth, rocks and other materials
- Loads excavated materials onto conveyors, wheelbarrows and trucks for removal
- Spreads and levels soil, gravel and sand on roads and driveways, trench bottoms and similar locations
Ways in
- TAFE and VET: Certificate II in Construction (CPC20120); Certificate III in Drilling Oil & Gas (Onshore) (RII32020); Certificate III in Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance (SIF30213)
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Typical full-time pay: $95,004 a year
- About 73,000 people work in this job group now, and about 77,700 are projected by 2035. (+6.4%)
- AI is more likely to help with parts of this job than to do it. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an Earthmoving Labourer?
Ways in include: Certificate II in Construction; Certificate III in Drilling Oil & Gas (Onshore).
How much does an Earthmoving Labourer earn in Australia?
Median full-time pay is $95,004 a year (Jobs and Skills Australia).
Is an Earthmoving Labourer a growing career in Australia?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6% by 2035, from about 73,000 to about 77,700 people (Jobs and Skills Australia).
Do you need a degree to become an Earthmoving Labourer?
Usually not. Only 3% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Certificate II in Construction; Certificate III in Drilling Oil & Gas (Onshore).
Will AI change the work of an Earthmoving Labourer?
AI is more likely to help with parts of this job than to do it. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as low.
Sources
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Occupation data (ANZSCO), from ABS Labour Force and Census (February 2026), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Generative AI Capacity Study, interactive table data (September 2025), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Employment Projections (Victoria University) (May 2025 to May 2035), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
- Australian Taxation Office: Taxation Statistics, Individuals Table 15A (2023-24), CC BY 2.5 AU, retrieved 2026-10-04
Updated 2026-10-04