How to become a Poultry Process Worker

Stuns and kills, dresses, trims, cuts into portions, bones, fillets, weighs, grades and packages poultry.

Main tasks

• Stuns and kills poultry according to standard procedures
• Dresses poultry by removing feathers, internal organs and other unneeded parts
• Trims poultry to remove excess fat or skin
• Bones poultry by removing bones from meat
• Cuts and fillets poultry into portions or specific cuts as required
• Weighs poultry to ensure accurate portioning and packaging
• Grades poultry based on quality standards
• Packages poultry in appropriate containers or packaging materials
• Cleans and maintains work area and equipment used in poultry processing

Ways in

• TAFE and VET: Certificate III in Meat Processing (AMP30622); Certificate III in Meat Processing (Packing Operations) (AMP31216); Certificate III in Meat Processing (Smallgoods - Manufacture) (AMP31016); Certificate II in Meat Processing (Food Services) (AMP20117)

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Typical full-time pay: $64,688 a year
• About 13,600 people work in this job group now, and about 13,300 are projected by 2035. (-2%)
• 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.

Related jobs

• Meat Process Worker
• Seafood Process Worker
• Baking Factory Worker
• Brewery Worker
• Coffee Roaster
• Confectionery Maker

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Poultry Process Worker?

Ways in include: Certificate III in Meat Processing; Certificate III in Meat Processing (Packing Operations).

How much does a Poultry Process Worker earn in Australia?

Median full-time pay is $64,688 a year (Jobs and Skills Australia).

Is a Poultry Process Worker a growing career in Australia?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 13,600 people now and 13,300 later (Jobs and Skills Australia).

Do you need a degree to become a Poultry Process Worker?

Usually not. Only 12% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Certificate III in Meat Processing; Certificate III in Meat Processing (Packing Operations).

Will AI change the work of a Poultry Process Worker?

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