Metal and plastics

How to become a structural metal fabricator and fitter

Official title: Structural metal fabricator and fitter

Also called: Heavy fabricator, Structural steel fabricator

Structural metal fabricators and fitters make large metal components for use in construction and engineering. They may fit and assemble components to build structures like bridges or tunnels.

Main tasks

Cut metal pieces to required sizes
Weld parts together
Grind welds and edges smooth
Lift large components using cranes
Inspect finished components
Assemble large componenents
Read plans to understand build requirements
Maintain machines and equipment

How to become one

You need to do an apprenticeship to become a structural metal fabricator and fitter. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to do an apprenticeship in welding and metalwork. Other requirements: a driver licence; to pass a drug test.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in welding and metalwork. TEC links this job to study in mechanical and industrial engineering and technology. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Engineering Fabrication (Trade). Usually 2.5 to 3 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $82,000 a year one year after study and $91,000 five years after; 89% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $59,000 to $90,000 a year (median $73,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $117,000 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: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers: 7,266 at the 2018 Census and 7,734 at the 2023 Census (+6.4%). 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 380 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers, 3% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers work (2023 Census): Auckland 32.9%, Canterbury 15.1%, and Waikato 13.2%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a structural metal fabricator and fitter?

How much does a structural metal fabricator and fitter earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $73,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $59,000 to $90,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a structural metal fabricator and fitter grown in New Zealand?

It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a structural metal fabricator and fitter?

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