Carpentry, roofing and masonry

How to become a steel fixer

Official title: Steel fixer

Also called: Precast steel fixer, Reinforcing steel fixer, Reinforcing iron worker

Steel fixers position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete to reinforce concrete structures.

Main tasks

Install steel bars
Position steel bars in correct places
Cut steel bars for installation
Weld steel parts when needed
Install supports and safety barriers
Tie steel bars securely together
Place safety equipment around work areas
Read plans for steel fixing work

How to become one

You usually learn on the job to become a steel fixer and experience or a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Concrete Construction Skills (Reinforcing) (Level 3); experience in similar work; to pass a medical assessment and drug test; a driver licence.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in building construction management. TEC links this job to study in building and construction. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Construction, NZ Dip in Architectural Technology. Usually 2 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $63,000 a year one year after study and $88,000 five years after; 80% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $58,000 to $97,000 a year (median $82,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $116,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Structural Steel Construction Workers: 4,779 at the 2018 Census and 4,902 at the 2023 Census (+2.6%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 700 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Structural Steel Construction Workers, 2% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Structural Steel Construction Workers work (2023 Census): Auckland 39.8%, Canterbury 13%, and Wellington 10.6%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a steel fixer?

How much does a steel fixer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $82,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $58,000 to $97,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a steel fixer grown in New Zealand?

It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a steel fixer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026