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Auto electrician recruitment for regional employers

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help transport and bus operators, mines, machinery and caravan dealers, workshops and councils across Australia hire qualified automotive electricians, from workshop auto electricians to field service technicians and leading hands. We build the certificate your state needs and the refrigerant licence for air conditioning work into every brief.

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Illustrative image: a worker in hi-vis uses a diagnostic lead and laptop beside a grey tractor in a rural machinery shed.

Auto electrician hiring at a glance

Auto electricians are a small trade in national shortage, concentrated in the mining and resources states.

national rating for Automotive Electrician in 2026
Shortage
Rated S, in national shortage, on the ANZSCO 2022 list. In shortage means rated S or R.1
people work as automotive electricians
10,400
February 2026, a small trade for the work it covers.2
of auto electricians work in Queensland and Western Australia
60.6%
February 2026, against 35.6% of motor mechanics.2
of auto electrician job ads with a location were regional
39%
152 of 386 ads, three-month average to September 2026, against 29% for all job ads.3

What does an auto electrician do, and which qualification do they hold?

Automotive electricians use test equipment to find electrical and electronic faults, install electrical and electronic components in vehicles, adjust engine control systems, and test and replace alternators, voltage regulators and starter motors.4 Regional work spans trucks and buses, mining and earthmoving fleets, farm machinery and caravans.

The national trade qualification is AUR30320 Certificate III in Automotive Electrical Technology.5 Air conditioning work on vehicles also needs a refrigerant handling licence, which is national.6

Which licence does an auto electrician need in each state?

Two states certify auto electricians individually. Vehicle air conditioning work with fluorocarbon refrigerants needs the national refrigerant licence in every state.

Licence or certificate an individual needs for automotive electrical work, by state and territory, as published by each regulator on 1 November 2026.

State or territoryLicence an auto electrician needsGood to know
New South WalesMotor vehicle tradesperson certificate, automotive electrician category, for electrical systems and air conditioning in motor vehicles7The category asks for AUR30320 or an older equivalent7
Western AustraliaMotor vehicle repairer certificate with the electrical work class, covering any electrical equipment or system in a motor vehicle8,9Air conditioning work is a separate class9
Australian Capital TerritoryA licence for anyone who performs vehicle repairs as a business10The licence is held by the repair business
QueenslandNo licence for auto electricians; the state licenses motor dealers11None
VictoriaNo licence for auto electricians; Consumer Affairs Victoria licenses motor car traders12None
South AustraliaNo licence for auto electricians; the vehicle licence is for second-hand dealers13None
TasmaniaNo licence for auto electricians; the occupations list covers motor vehicle traders and auto gas-fitters14None
Northern TerritoryNo licence for auto electricians; occupational licences cover motor vehicle dealers15None
All states and territoriesAutomotive air conditioning licence (AAC02) from the Australian Refrigeration Council for vehicle air conditioning work6The licence applies to work that risks releasing a fluorocarbon refrigerant; AAC02 covers vehicle cabin air conditioning6,16

What does an auto electrician earn?

Where the Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award 2020 covers the role, a qualified auto electrician (tradesperson level 1) must be paid at least $29.45 an hour, or $1,119.10 a week, from 1 July 2026. Level 2, for a tradesperson who holds a Certificate IV such as Automotive Electrical Technology and is required to use it, pays at least $32.22 an hour.17,18 The award covers businesses principally connected with repairing, servicing or selling vehicles; a mine or a manufacturer usually has its own award.18

In the market, automotive electricians had median full-time earnings of $46 an hour in May 2025, nationally.2

Where are auto electricians in demand?

Western Australia and Queensland account for 57% of auto electrician job ads.19 That matches where the trade works: the two states hold 60.6% of its employment.2 Nationally, ads averaged 401 a month in the three months to September 2026, against 418 a year earlier.19

Online job ads for automotive electricians by state (three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier) and each state's share of the trade's employment (February 2026).2,19

State or territoryJob ads a month, September 2026A year earlierShare of national employment
Western Australia1251913427.9%2
Queensland10410632.7%
New South Wales807916.8%
Victoria506715.4%
South Australia19193.8%
Tasmania1271.4%
Northern Territory831.2%
Australian Capital Territory330.9%

What to tell us about your auto electrician role

Tell us the fleet: trucks and buses, mining or earthmoving machines, tractors and harvesters, caravans, or light vehicles. Say whether the work is diagnostics, installation, repair or air conditioning, and whether it includes 24-volt heavy vehicle systems, telematics or high-voltage electric and hybrid systems.

Then the work pattern: workshop or field service, the service vehicle and the driver licence it needs, the roster and call-out, and the refrigerant licence or state certificate the person must hold.

How we help you hire an auto electrician

You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.

  1. Step 1

    Understand the role

    We talk with you about the vehicles and machines, the diagnostic and air conditioning work, and the certificate and licences the role needs.

  2. Step 2

    Source and screen

    We talk with auto electricians about the fleets they know, their refrigerant licence and any state certificate, and the roster they want.

  3. Step 3

    Introduce suitable people

    We introduce the candidates who best match your brief, so you decide who to interview.

  4. Step 4

    Coordinate the hire

    We coordinate the next steps and keep both sides informed through interviews and the offer. You employ the person directly.

Field service, rosters and relocation

Tell us whether the role is workshop-based or on the road, the territory it covers, and for site work whether it is residential, drive-in drive-out or fly-in fly-out, with its point of hire and roster. We describe the service vehicle, the on-call arrangements and the travel in the first conversation.

We start with auto electricians near your region and widen the search to those willing to move, and we raise certificates early for anyone moving into New South Wales or Western Australia.

If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Looking for auto electrician work in the regions?

Register with Hire Australia and tell us the vehicles and machines you work on, your qualification and licences, and where you would like to work. We will talk with you about regional auto electrical roles that fit.

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Talk to us about your next auto electrician hire

Tell us the fleet, the location and when you need the person to start.

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.

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A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Good to know.

Does an auto electrician need a licence?

In New South Wales, an automotive electrician needs a motor vehicle tradesperson certificate, and in Western Australia a repairer certificate with the electrical work class.7,9 Other states don't license the trade itself. Hire Australia confirms the rule for your state and asks candidates about their refrigerant licence.

Does an auto electrician need a licence for air conditioning work?

Yes, where the work risks releasing a fluorocarbon refrigerant, which covers most vehicle cabin air conditioning work. The licence for it is the automotive licence (AAC02) from the Australian Refrigeration Council.6,16 Hire Australia asks every auto electrician candidate whether they hold it, and when it expires.

What is the award minimum for an auto electrician?

Where the Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award 2020 covers the role, a qualified auto electrician must be paid at least $29.45 an hour from 1 July 2026, or $32.22 at level 2 with a required Certificate IV.17 The median was $46 an hour in May 2025.2 Hire Australia agrees the rate with you first.

How hard is it to recruit an auto electrician in a regional area?

Automotive Electrician is rated in national shortage for 2026,1 and only 10,400 people work in the trade.2 Ads averaged 401 a month to September 2026.19 Hire Australia plans auto electrician searches early and widens them beyond your region when the local field is thin.

What does it cost to use Hire Australia?

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The fee terms are the same whether Hire Australia recruits a workshop auto electrician or a field service technician for a mine.

Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?

No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.

Sources (19)

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (ANZSCO 2022 sheet). National ratings, files dated October 2026. "In shortage" means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  2. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (descriptions, earnings, employment and state tables). Median full-time earnings: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national, non-managerial adult employees. Employment and state shares: February 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by remoteness (major cities and regional), September 2026. Online job ads, three-month average to September 2026; SA4 regions grouped as major city or regional (regional includes Newcastle and Geelong). Counts ads. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  4. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 3211 Automotive Electricians. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  5. training.gov.au, AUR30320 Certificate III in Automotive Electrical Technology (release 5, current). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  6. Australian Refrigeration Council (ARCtick), Refrigerant handling licence – licence types. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  7. NSW Government, Motor vehicle tradesperson work categories and qualification requirements. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  8. Government of Western Australia (Consumer Protection), Motor vehicle repairer certificate (page updated 1 May 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  9. Government of Western Australia (Consumer Protection), Classes of motor vehicle repair work (page updated 18 March 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  10. Access Canberra, Motor vehicle dealer and repairer licences. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  11. Queensland Government, Motor industry regulation (motor dealer licences). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  12. Consumer Affairs Victoria, Licensing and registration (licensed occupations list). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  13. Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), Licences (list of licensed occupations). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  14. Consumer Affairs Tasmania, Licensed occupations. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  15. Northern Territory Government, Occupational licences. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  16. Australian Refrigeration Council, Refrigerant handling licence. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  17. Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide: Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award [MA000089]. Published 24 June 2026. Rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; Vehicle industry RS&R tradesperson levels 1 and 2. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  18. Fair Work Commission, Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award 2020 [MA000089]. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  19. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026 (released 21 October 2026), rounded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑