Average Manufacturing Operative Salary in Australia for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Manufacturing Operative salary for 2024 in Australia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Australian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the AUD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Manufacturing Operative Make in Australia?

A Manufacturing Operative working in Australia will typically earn around 45,300 AUD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 20,000 AUD to the highest average salary of 69,100 AUD.

Average Annual Salary
45,300 AUD
Average Monthly Salary
3,775 AUD

Lowest Annual Salary
20,000 AUD
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,666 AUD

Highest Annual Salary
69,100 AUD
Highest Monthly Salary
5,758 AUD

These are average salaries for a Manufacturing Operative in Australia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Manufacturing Operative to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Manufacturing Operative salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Manufacturing Operative Salaries in Australia

So we've looked at the average salaries a Manufacturing Operative will earn in Australia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Manufacturing Operative can earn between 20,000 AUD and 69,100 AUD on average in Australia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Manufacturing Operative in Australia is 43,100 AUD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 43,100 AUD, and 50% of the population earn more than 43,100 AUD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Manufacturing Operative salary in Australia, 25% of the population are earning less than 30,800 AUD while 75% of the population earn more than 30,800 AUD.

75% of the population earn less than 58,500 AUD, and 25% of the population earn more than 58,500 AUD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Manufacturing Operative Salary by Experience Level in Australia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average manufacturing operative salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Manufacturing Operative in Australia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 27,400 AUD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Manufacturing Operative salary would increase to 32,200 AUD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Manufacturing Operative, the average salary would be 46,300 AUD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 57,000 AUD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Manufacturing Operative with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 60,000 AUD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Manufacturing Operative with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 66,000 AUD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
27,400 AUD
2-5 Years +29%
32,200 AUD
5-10 Years +38%
46,300 AUD
10-15 Years +24%
57,000 AUD
15-20 Years +7%
60,000 AUD
20+ Years +7%
66,000 AUD

Manufacturing Operative Salary by Education Level in Australia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Manufacturing Operative in Australia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Manufacturing Operative in Australia with a high school education can earn an average salary of 32,200 AUD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Manufacturing Operative in Australia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 47,800 AUD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Manufacturing Operative in Australia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 63,500 AUD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
32,200 AUD
Certificate or Diploma +43%
47,800 AUD
Bachelor's Degree +38%
63,500 AUD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Australia is around 37,800 to 114,000 AUD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Manufacturing Operative Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Australia, a male manufacturing operative will earn an average of 46,200 AUD, while a female manufacturing operative will earn around 43,500 AUD.

This means that a male manufacturing operative earns approximately 6% more than a female manufacturing operative for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Australia

Male
46,200 AUD
Female -6%
43,500 AUD

Manufacturing Operative Average Pay Raise in Australia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Manufacturing Operative in Australia is around 9% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Australia is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 9 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that a Manufacturing Operative in Australia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Australia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Australia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Manufacturing Operative Bonus and Incentive Rates in Australia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Manufacturing Operative is a low bonus based job, with 31% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

69% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
31%
No Bonus
69%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Australia earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
92,500 AUD
Private Sector -5%
87,900 AUD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Manufacturing Operative

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Manufacturing Operative in Australia.

Job Title Category Salary
Assembly Foreman Factory and Manufacturing 25,700 AUD
Assembly Line Worker Factory and Manufacturing 23,700 AUD
Assembly Supervisor Factory and Manufacturing 40,500 AUD
Assistance Maintenance Manager Factory and Manufacturing 98,700 AUD
Assistant Shipping Manager Factory and Manufacturing 84,600 AUD
Chemical Equipment Controller Factory and Manufacturing 62,600 AUD
Chemical Technican Apprentice Factory and Manufacturing 53,300 AUD
CNC Machinist Factory and Manufacturing 59,000 AUD
CNC Operator Factory and Manufacturing 57,000 AUD
CNC Programmer Factory and Manufacturing 64,900 AUD
Colour Technologist Factory and Manufacturing 34,100 AUD
Contracts Manager Factory and Manufacturing 114,900 AUD
Data Collection Coordinator Factory and Manufacturing 42,500 AUD
Demand Planner Factory and Manufacturing 39,100 AUD
Derrick Operator Factory and Manufacturing 26,600 AUD
Director of Manufacturing Factory and Manufacturing 152,900 AUD
Dock Worker Factory and Manufacturing 22,800 AUD
Drying Technician Factory and Manufacturing 24,800 AUD
Equipment Operator Factory and Manufacturing 23,600 AUD
Export Sales Coordinator Factory and Manufacturing 78,200 AUD
Factory Superintendent Factory and Manufacturing 40,600 AUD
Factory Worker Factory and Manufacturing 26,100 AUD
Failure Analysis Technician Factory and Manufacturing 39,500 AUD
Fiberglass Laminator Factory and Manufacturing 26,900 AUD
Food Technologist Factory and Manufacturing 45,300 AUD
Forklift Driver Factory and Manufacturing 24,400 AUD
Forklift Operator Factory and Manufacturing 26,100 AUD
Forming Machine Operator Factory and Manufacturing 26,200 AUD
Furnace Operator Factory and Manufacturing 27,400 AUD
Gas Appliance Repairer Factory and Manufacturing 27,400 AUD
General Warehouse Associate Factory and Manufacturing 46,400 AUD
Heavy Equipment Operator Factory and Manufacturing 35,100 AUD
HSE Manager Factory and Manufacturing 108,200 AUD
Industrial Engineer Factory and Manufacturing 85,500 AUD
Industrial Machinery Mechanic Factory and Manufacturing 52,800 AUD
Industrial Production Manager Factory and Manufacturing 157,600 AUD
Industrial Safety and Health Engineer Factory and Manufacturing 87,000 AUD
Intake Operator Factory and Manufacturing 36,500 AUD
Key Account Manager Factory and Manufacturing 123,000 AUD
Lift Truck Operator Factory and Manufacturing 25,800 AUD
Loading Supervisor Factory and Manufacturing 47,600 AUD
Logistic Coordinator Factory and Manufacturing 69,400 AUD
Logistics Clerk Factory and Manufacturing 35,500 AUD
Machine Operator Factory and Manufacturing 26,400 AUD
Machinist Factory and Manufacturing 27,000 AUD
Maintenance Manager Factory and Manufacturing 105,200 AUD
Maintenance Store Clerk Factory and Manufacturing 27,400 AUD
Manufacturing Engineer Factory and Manufacturing 84,800 AUD
Manufacturing Engineering Manager Factory and Manufacturing 123,000 AUD
Manufacturing Engineering Technologist Factory and Manufacturing 97,100 AUD
Manufacturing Manager Factory and Manufacturing 150,100 AUD
Manufacturing Production Technician Factory and Manufacturing 34,700 AUD
Manufacturing Supervisor Factory and Manufacturing 76,000 AUD
Manufacturing Technician Factory and Manufacturing 30,800 AUD
Materials Manager Factory and Manufacturing 114,600 AUD
Materials Supervisor Factory and Manufacturing 78,200 AUD
Mechanical Fitter Engineer Factory and Manufacturing 88,300 AUD
Mechanical Foreman Factory and Manufacturing 23,600 AUD
Merchandise Planner Factory and Manufacturing 45,600 AUD
Metrology Engineer Factory and Manufacturing 76,000 AUD
Operations Engineer Factory and Manufacturing 78,700 AUD
Operations Manager Factory and Manufacturing 138,700 AUD
Order Management Coordinator Factory and Manufacturing 66,700 AUD
Order Processing Manager Factory and Manufacturing 114,600 AUD
Order Selector Factory and Manufacturing 33,300 AUD
Package Handler Factory and Manufacturing 22,400 AUD
Packaging Manager Factory and Manufacturing 83,200 AUD
Packer Factory and Manufacturing 27,600 AUD
Packing Deputy Supervisor Factory and Manufacturing 68,900 AUD
Planning Manager Factory and Manufacturing 125,400 AUD
Plant Manager Factory and Manufacturing 134,100 AUD
Precision Instrument Repairer Factory and Manufacturing 36,800 AUD
Process Technician Factory and Manufacturing 32,600 AUD
Product Manager Factory and Manufacturing 137,100 AUD
Production Analyst Factory and Manufacturing 112,700 AUD
Production Director Factory and Manufacturing 164,100 AUD
Production Engineer Factory and Manufacturing 81,700 AUD
Production Engineering Supervisor Factory and Manufacturing 123,000 AUD
Production Inspector Factory and Manufacturing 92,600 AUD
Production Laborer Factory and Manufacturing 23,600 AUD
Production Manager Factory and Manufacturing 151,800 AUD
Production Operator Factory and Manufacturing 36,800 AUD
Production Scheduler Factory and Manufacturing 66,900 AUD
Production Supervisor Factory and Manufacturing 84,800 AUD
Production Technician Factory and Manufacturing 36,900 AUD
Production Worker Factory and Manufacturing 35,300 AUD
Quality Control Analyst Factory and Manufacturing 109,700 AUD
Quality Control Inspector Factory and Manufacturing 88,500 AUD
Quality Control Manager Factory and Manufacturing 124,500 AUD
Service Technician Factory and Manufacturing 33,500 AUD
SHEQ Officer Factory and Manufacturing 39,800 AUD
Shipping Manager Factory and Manufacturing 132,000 AUD
Small Engine Mechanic Factory and Manufacturing 45,600 AUD
Spray Painter Factory and Manufacturing 24,200 AUD
Sterile Processing Technician Factory and Manufacturing 30,800 AUD
Structural Welder Factory and Manufacturing 22,400 AUD
Supply Chain Operative Factory and Manufacturing 71,800 AUD
Technical Operator Factory and Manufacturing 36,600 AUD
Technology Development Manager Factory and Manufacturing 142,100 AUD
Testing Technician Factory and Manufacturing 63,000 AUD
Toolmaker Factory and Manufacturing 40,200 AUD
Warehouse Forklift Operator Factory and Manufacturing 28,800 AUD
Warehouse Operative Factory and Manufacturing 27,400 AUD
Warehouse Worker Factory and Manufacturing 26,300 AUD
Warranty Handler Factory and Manufacturing 48,300 AUD
Welder Factory and Manufacturing 23,700 AUD
Workshop Manager Factory and Manufacturing 94,500 AUD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Australia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Adelaide 45,300 AUD
Brisbane 49,800 AUD
Canberra-Queanbeyan 44,300 AUD
Gold Coast-Tweed 44,300 AUD
Gosford 42,600 AUD
Melbourne 51,500 AUD
Newcastle 42,700 AUD
Perth 45,600 AUD
Sunshine Coast 44,300 AUD
Sydney 49,200 AUD
Wollongong 40,700 AUD

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