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What does a labourer, carpenter, or scaffolder actually cost per hour? This page anchors the honest answer. Every award-floor figure below is read directly from the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide (effective 2026-07-01); every charge range is a market band, not a fixed price. Use it to sanity-check what you're being quoted — then request a written quote for your project's exact profile.
“Labour hire rates” is a compound of two very different numbers. The pay rate — what the worker earns — is a legal floor set by the relevant Fair Work modern award (Building and Construction General On-site Award MA000020 for most site trades; Manufacturing MA000010, Cleaning MA000022, Security MA000016, Road Transport MA000038 and others for adjacent industries). The charge rate — what the labour hire provider bills the client — sits above that floor and covers the worker's casual loading, superannuation, workers compensation, payroll tax, insurance, recruitment, induction, and provider margin.
HBG's own placement data across Sydney and interstate shows the market range typically lands at roughly ×1.65 to ×2.25 the published casual pay rate. This page publishes the observable RANGE for the top 10 trades — no invented single figures. Every specific project is quoted in writing against its own on-cost profile, ticket mix, volume, and site tier.
Award floors verified from the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides effective 2026-07-01. Charge ranges are indicative of the observable Australian metro market, not a fixed rate card. See the full trade rates guide for the industry-wide comparison, per-trade deep pages, and every source citation.
Casual pay rate is the Fair Work award floor for a standard classification in that trade. Charge range is the market band HBG observes for straight-time weekday work on a metro commercial site.
| Trade | Award | Classification | Casual pay rate | Typical charge range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter | Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03/hr | $64-$88/hr |
| Concreter | Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03/hr | $64-$88/hr |
| Labourer | Building & Construction | CW1(a) | $35.55/hr | $59-$80/hr |
| Forklift Operator | Manufacturing | C11 | $34.96/hr | $58-$79/hr |
| Traffic Controller | Building & Construction | CW1(a) | $37.99/hr | $63-$85/hr |
| Cleaner | Cleaning Services | — | $32.00-$40.00/hr | $53-$90/hr |
| Warehouse Picker/Packer | Storage | G1 | $33.85/hr | $56-$76/hr |
| Storeperson | Storage | G2 | $34.96/hr | $58-$79/hr |
| Painter | Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03/hr | $64-$88/hr |
| Scaffolder | Building & Construction | CW3 | $39.03/hr | $64-$88/hr |
Ranges assume straight-time weekday work on a metro commercial site. Weekend, public-holiday, and overtime multipliers stack on top per the applicable award. Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides effective 2026-07-01.
The single hourly charge rate on your invoice bundles a lot. Wage: the worker's casual award pay + 25% casual loading is the legal floor. On-costs: superannuation (12% from 1 July 2025), workers compensation insurance, payroll tax, public liability + professional indemnity insurance, and where applicable the industry allowance baked into the award (e.g. $1.77/hr on MA000020) all stack above the floor before margin.
HBG is the legal employer of every worker we place. That means we issue the PAYG payslip, remit the super to their nominated fund, pay the workers compensation premium, and handle every entitlement reconciliation. You pay one hourly rate; we manage the rest. Weekly timesheets are approved by the site supervisor, invoiced weekly, and paid on the terms agreed in your written quote (standard is 14 or 30 days). Allowances (travel $22.41/day, meal $19.74/overtime break, LAFHA $102.92/day where applicable) are itemised separately on the invoice so the split between wage and allowance is transparent.
Sydney is not one market. CBD + inner-metro commercial sites (Barangaroo, Circular Quay, Zetland, Alexandria) sit at the top of the charge range due to project premium, dense compliance load, and site-allowance weight. Northern Beaches + North Shore lift slightly for prestige residential and access-restricted sites. Western Sydney (Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith) and the south-west growth corridor (Liverpool, Campbelltown, Bringelly, Aerotropolis) sit closer to the midpoint — higher worker-pool depth pulls the effective rate down.
For a live sense of what the rate lands at in your specific catchment, jump to the local labour-hire page — each region page lists availability, common trades HBG deploys there, and a region-specific quote form. Every rate quoted is written; every rate holds for the length of the placement.
Every real quote is written against your specific project — tickets required, volume, duration, site tier, and on-costs. Ranges above are starting points; the written quote is the contract. Weekly billing, transparent allowances, replacement guarantee.
Or call 1300 HBG 24/7 for same-day rate confirmation.
Typical labour hire charge rates in Sydney sit between $45/hr for a general labourer and $95/hr for a licensed trade (electrician, plumber). The charge rate = casual award pay + on-costs (superannuation, workers compensation, payroll tax, public liability) + agency margin. HBG uses the Fair Work Ombudsman published casual rate (effective 2026-07-01) as the pay floor and multiplies by roughly ×1.65–×2.25 to reach a market range. Every real quote is written per project — volume, tickets required, and site tier all move the number.
The single hourly charge rate covers: the worker's casual award pay + 25% casual loading; superannuation guarantee (12% from 1 July 2025); workers compensation insurance; payroll tax; public liability + professional indemnity insurance; recruitment, screening + induction cost; ongoing compliance monitoring (licences, tickets, medicals); and the HBG margin. Weekly pay, PAYG withholding, super remittance, and payslips are all managed for you.
Yes. Under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020) — the dominant award for HBG placements — Saturday work is charged at 150% for the first 2 hours then 200% thereafter; Sunday at 200% for all hours; and public holidays at 250%. Overtime (over 8h in a day or 38h in a week) is 150% for the first 2 hours then 200% thereafter. Other awards (Manufacturing MA000010, Storage MA000084, Cleaning MA000022, Security MA000016) apply slightly different structures — always cross-check the applicable award.
The award pay rate cannot be negotiated below the Fair Work floor — that is a legal minimum. What CAN be negotiated is the margin above the floor: volume commitments, project duration, single-site rosters, dual-ticket workers, and extended payment terms all move the number down. HBG publishes ranges rather than a fixed rate card because every project prices against its own on-cost profile.
Almost — but not exactly. Sydney CBD + inner-metro commercial sites usually sit at the top of the range due to project premium, site allowances, and dense compliance load. Western Sydney (Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith) and south-west corridors (Liverpool, Campbelltown, Bringelly) sit closer to the midpoint. Northern Beaches + North Shore lift slightly for prestige residential and access-restricted sites. Use the region pages linked below for local availability and worker-pool depth.
Metro Sydney: HBG can deploy inducted workers on the same day or next morning for standard trades (labourers, carpenters, concreters, scaffolders). Licensed trades (electricians, plumbers) and specialist plant operators typically deploy within 24–48h depending on ticket verification. The quoted rate holds for the length of the placement — no surprise rate changes mid-shift.
The published Building and Construction award (MA000020) includes a travel/fares allowance of $22.41/day and a meal allowance of $19.74 per overtime break — these stack on top of the ordinary casual rate. Where a project is remote or camp-based, living-away-from-home ($102.92/day) and additional daily fares are also applicable. HBG quotes these separately per project on the written quote so the split between wage + allowance is transparent.
The CASUAL PAY RATE is what the worker earns — the award floor from Fair Work, e.g. $39.03/hr for a CW3 carpenter under MA000020 (effective 1 July 2026). The LABOUR HIRE CHARGE RATE is what HBG bills the client — pay + super + insurance + payroll tax + admin + margin, typically ×1.65–×2.25 the pay rate. The client never pays the worker directly; HBG is the legal employer and manages all wage + tax obligations.
More questions? See the full labour hire FAQ hub or contact HBG directly.