Young tradie reveals grim wage as apprentices abandon industry: 'Hard to live on'

An apprentice tradie has opened up about the low wages he receives and admitted his salary was “hard to live on”. Half of Australia’s trade apprentices are leaving the industry before finishing their training, with low wages and the high cost of living forcing many to drop out.

The Gold Coast man was stopped on the street and revealed he was earning around $600 a week as a first-year apprentice carpenter. That’s below the national minimum wage of $915.90 per week.

“It’s not the best. Living by yourself and all, it’s hard to live on what I’m making but I’m dealing with what I got,” he told jobs app GetAhead.

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The tradie admitted he didn’t initially know what he wanted to do for work after finishing school. He said he started his apprenticeship after doing labouring work for a year.

“My dad gave me a labouring job outside of school and then I was like I wanna go down the direction of being a chippy so that’s what I did,” he said.

Despite the low pay, the man said he was making do with what he received, sharing he was guilty of using Sports Bet.

Are you a tradie with a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com

'No money left': Apprentices under pressure

Low wages coupled with the high cost of living are forcing many apprentice tradies to drop out before they complete their training.

Third-year apprentice electrician Sam Barker told Yahoo Finance he would have struggled to get by if he wasn’t able to live at home with his parents.

“I would barely have any money to myself after a week's wage really [if I paid rent],” he said.

While he was on a good wage, Barker said many of his counterparts in other trades were earning below or just above minimum wage.

“No one can just afford to save really. Every time you get that little bit ahead, you have to pay for more tools, bills come in, car problems, etc,” he said.

Fellow apprentice Jake said he loved his job but was on the brink of ditching his apprenticeship given the low wages and high cost of living.

"With the cost of fuel and other expenses there's no money left," the automotive apprentice said.

"Everything is expensive at the moment. Life is expensive now, decisions are made for me based on what I earn, over what I'd really like to do."

‘Alarming’ number of apprentices drop out

Only 54 per cent of trade apprentices who started training in 2019 had achieved a certified trade four years later, the latest National Centre of Vocational Education Research data found.

About 54 per cent of apprentices in construction, 58 per cent in the automotive sector and 62 per cent in the electro-technology and communications fields finished their training last year.

The most common reason for leaving included “dissatisfaction with pay or working conditions” and “being offered a better job”.

Apprenticeships Are Us general manager Phil Cooksey said cost-of-living pressures meant a reported 60 per cent of automotive apprentices had abandoned their training.

“The current cost-of-living pressure, especially in the Sydney area, is probably the biggest culprit for people quitting their apprenticeships,” he said.

“The government has been offering incentives to help ease the cost-of-living pressure, but even still, apprentices are finding themselves faced with difficult decisions.”

Cooksey said qualified car mechanics could earn $75,000, while heavy diesel mechanics could make $100,000.

“It’s unfortunate because completing an apprenticeship offers long-term benefits, including valuable qualifications, real-world experience, and highly competitive pay,” he said.

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