Upskill to get paid more as an employed tradie
If you’ve decided to stay employed, the fastest way to earn more isn’t longer hours or burning yourself out. It’s increasing what you’re worth per hour. Upskilling is how employed tradies move from average pay to better rates without living on site or chasing overtime every week.
More skills. More responsibility. Better pay.
Staying employed doesn’t mean staying stuck. For a lot of tradies, employment can actually offer a clearer path to higher pay if you play it right. The shift is in how you see your role. Instead of positioning yourself as just another pair of hands, you need to become someone who’s harder to replace.
A useful way to think about it is the difference between a generalist and a specialist. Both start with the same base trade skills. The specialist earns more because fewer people can do what they do well. The same logic applies on site. The more specific and valuable your skill set is, the more leverage you have when pay reviews come around.
What upskilling really means on site
Upskilling isn’t just about collecting tickets, even though they matter. It’s also about how you operate day to day. Reliability, initiative, communication and problem-solving are all skills employers notice, even if they don’t come with a certificate.
That said, trade-specific skills still do heavy lifting. Extra tickets like confined spaces, EWP or working at heights often open the door to better-paying roles, especially on commercial, industrial or union sites where compliance is non-negotiable. Being comfortable across different types of sites and knowing how they run also makes you more valuable to keep around.
Find the high-value pocket in your trade
Every trade has areas that pay better than others. The mistake many tradies make is staying in the busiest part of the trade instead of the most valuable one. High pay usually sits where skills are scarce, work is complex or mistakes are expensive.
That might mean specialising in detailed finishing work, advanced systems or technically demanding installs. These pockets aren’t always obvious, but once you spot them, you can start building skills that move you closer to that work. Employers will pay more for tradies who can handle specialised tasks without constant supervision.
“The jobs that pay more are the ones fewer people can do.”
Why soft skills and leadership lift your rate
Technical ability gets you on site. Soft skills move you up the ladder. Tradies who communicate clearly, manage issues early and keep jobs running smoothly often end up as leading hands or supervisors. Those roles come with more responsibility, but they also come with better pay.
Leadership is one of the quickest ways to lift your income as an employed tradie. Being organised, understanding plans, managing people and keeping standards high makes you valuable beyond your tools. When employers trust you with responsibility, they’re far more willing to pay for it.
Turning skills into more money
Upskilling only works if you back it up with a conversation. Once you’ve added skills, tickets or responsibilities, you need to explain how that benefits the business. Talk about efficiency, reduced risk and the extra value you bring to the team. Most employers are open to paying more when they can see a clear return.
Upskilling isn’t about collecting certificates for the sake of it. It’s about increasing your value per hour. Combine technical skill, leadership and smart positioning within your trade, and you give yourself a better shot at earning more without leaving employment behind.
