2026 Labourer Rates
What Does a Labourer Cost Per Hour in 2026?
A general labourer costs $47.81–$83.70/hr ex-GST through EIR in 2026. The spread is not vagueness — it is the difference between a warehouse hand in Brisbane and an EBA labourer on an Adelaide infrastructure site. Every published rate is below.
Direct answer
A warehouse labourer is $47.81/hr ex-GST in QLD and $50.81/hr in SA. A civil labourer in SA is $53.54/hr. A commercial construction labourer (CW1C) is $56.50/hr in SA and $57.00/hr in NSW. An EBA labourer in Adelaide is $83.70/hr. Those are EIR's published rack rates, all-inclusive of the worker's wage, 12% super, workers' compensation, state payroll tax, casual loading, leave, $20M public liability and supervision. GST is charged on top. The labourer's own pay rate is $33.94–$38.00/hr — a different number, explained below.
Pay rate is not charge rate
This is where most online rate comparisons go wrong. Two different numbers get used interchangeably.
Award pay rate
$33.94 – $38.00/hr
What the labourer actually receives per hour under the relevant Modern Award. This is not what you pay, and it is the number most online rate comparisons quote by mistake.
EIR charge rate
$47.81 – $83.70/hr ex-GST
What you pay EIR, all-in. Covers the wage, 12% superannuation, workers' compensation, state payroll tax, casual loading, annual and personal leave, $20M public liability, PPE and supervision. One rate, one invoice. GST on top.
Published labourer rates by sector and state
| Labourer type | Standard | 1.5× OT | 2× OT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction labourer (CW1C) — NSWCommercial and civil sites across Sydney, Newcastle and regional NSW.Building & Construction General On-Site Award 2020 | $57.00 | $71.20 | $91.60 |
| Construction labourer (CW1C) — SACommercial, civil and industrial sites across Greater Adelaide and regional SA.Building & Construction General On-Site Award 2020 | $56.50 | $70.10 | $88.10 |
| Civil labourer (CW1C) — SARoadworks, drainage, earthworks and civil infrastructure. Lower than commercial construction.Building & Construction General On-Site Award 2020 | $53.54 | $66.93 | $86.04 |
| Restoration / construction labourer (CW1C) — QLDMake-safe, restoration and general construction labour across South-East QLD.Building & Construction General On-Site Award 2020 | $54.70 | $68.38 | $87.91 |
| EBA labourer (CW1) — AdelaideUnion EBA sites — typically large infrastructure, government and tier-1 commercial projects.Site-specific Enterprise Bargaining Agreement | $83.70 | $101.16 | $130.05 |
| Warehouse labourer (Storeworker Grade 1) — SAGeneral warehouse hand — picking, packing, receiving, despatch.Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 | $50.81 | $63.51 | $81.65 |
| Warehouse labourer (Storeworker Grade 1) — QLDGeneral warehouse hand across Brisbane, Ipswich and South-East QLD.Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 | $47.81 | $59.76 | $76.83 |
All rates ex-GST per hour. Standard = Monday–Friday straight time. Source: EIR published charge rates, 2026 wage review.
What moves a labourer's rate
Sector and Award
A warehouse labourer sits under the Storage Services Award and starts at $47.81/hr. A commercial construction labourer sits under the Building & Construction Award and starts at $56.50/hr. Same job title, different Award, roughly $9/hr difference.
Award site vs EBA site
This is the single biggest swing. An Award CW1C labourer in Adelaide is $56.50/hr. The same labourer on an EBA site is $83.70/hr — a 48% jump — because the EBA base wage is materially higher. If your site is EBA-covered, budget accordingly.
State
Payroll tax and workers' compensation premiums differ by state: SA 4.95%, NSW 5.45%, QLD 4.75%, each with its own scheme (ReturnToWorkSA, icare NSW, WorkCover QLD). That is why identical work prices differently across the border.
Overtime and penalty
Rates on this page are Monday–Friday straight time. Time-and-a-half runs $59.76–$101.16/hr and double time $76.83–$130.05/hr depending on classification. On a heavy-overtime roster, penalty hours often drive more of your total spend than the base rate does.
Tickets held
A White Card is the floor for construction. Additional tickets — forklift (LF), EWP, traffic control, dogging, confined space — move the worker up a classification and lift the charge rate, but they also make the worker deployable across more of your site.
Related rate guides
- CW1 vs CW4 vs EBA construction ratesEvery construction classification compared.
- Warehouse picker/packer ratesStoreworker Grade 1–4 rates for SA and QLD.
- Labour hire cost calculatorModel a full crew across 8 sectors and 3 states.
- Labour hire vs permanent staffThe full true-cost comparison, line by line.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a labourer cost per hour through labour hire in Australia?
A general labourer through EIR costs $47.81–$83.70/hr ex-GST at standard time in 2026, depending on sector, state and whether the site is Award or EBA covered. A warehouse labourer starts at $47.81/hr in QLD and $50.81/hr in SA. A civil labourer in SA is $53.54/hr. A commercial construction labourer (CW1C) is $56.50/hr in SA and $57.00/hr in NSW. An EBA labourer in Adelaide is $83.70/hr. Every rate is all-inclusive of wage, 12% super, workers' compensation, payroll tax, casual loading, leave, public liability and supervision. GST is charged on top.
Why is the labour hire rate so much higher than the labourer's wage?
Because the charge rate is not the wage. A labourer receives roughly $33.94–$38.00/hr under the Award. On top of that, the employer carries 12% superannuation, workers' compensation premium (3–8% of wages depending on industry and state), state payroll tax (4.75–5.45%), 25% casual loading, annual and personal leave accrual, public liability insurance, PPE, recruitment, induction and supervision. Through labour hire, EIR carries all of it and you pay one hourly rate. Comparing a $38/hr wage to a $56.50/hr charge rate is comparing two different things.
What is the cheapest labourer rate EIR offers?
The lowest general labouring rate is $47.81/hr ex-GST for a Storeworker Grade 1 warehouse hand in Queensland. Warehouse and storage work prices below construction because it sits under the Storage Services and Wholesale Award rather than the Building & Construction Award, and carries a lower workers' compensation classification. We will not quote below our published rack rate — a rate that undercuts the Award is a compliance problem for you as the host, not a saving.
What is the difference between a CW1 and a CW1C labourer?
Both are entry-level construction labourers under the Building & Construction General On-Site Award 2020. The suffix denotes the specific pay point within the CW1 band. In EIR's published rates, CW1C is the standard general construction labourer classification used on Award sites, while CW1 appears in our EBA rate card for enterprise-agreement sites. The practical difference for a host employer is the site's industrial coverage, not the worker's skill.
Does the labourer rate include a White Card and PPE?
Yes. Every EIR labourer holds a current White Card before they set foot on your site — that is non-negotiable and it is included, not an extra line item. Standard PPE (hi-vis, safety boots, hard hat, gloves, eye protection) is included in the charge rate. Site-specific specialist equipment — harnesses for working at heights, respirators, gas monitors — is arranged case by case.
Is it cheaper to hire a labourer permanently instead?
It depends entirely on how continuously you need them. A permanent labourer on a $65,000 salary costs $97,000–$116,000 a year once you add super, workers' compensation, payroll tax, leave, recruitment and onboarding — roughly 1.5–1.8× the base salary. For steady full-time work over 2+ years, permanent usually wins on cost. For variable demand, project work, or engagements under 12 months, labour hire is typically cheaper because you pay only for hours used and carry no recruitment, leave or redundancy exposure. Our labour hire vs permanent staff guide works through the full comparison.
How quickly can EIR supply labourers?
For sites we already service across Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane, we can generally place inducted labourers same-day or next-morning. A new site needs a short induction window so we can walk the job, confirm the WHS requirements and brief the crew properly. Call 1800 LABOUR and we will give you an honest answer on your timeframe rather than an optimistic one.
Need labourers on site?
Tell us the sector, the state and whether the site is Award or EBA covered — we'll quote the right classification. We supply labourers, operators, tradies and admin support across civil, construction, manufacturing and warehousing. Or model a crew in the cost calculator.
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