Australia’s manufacturing industry offers opportunities for factory workers in production, engineering, maintenance, food processing, machinery, quality control and industrial operations.
One of the most significant selling points is the opportunity for an international worker to secure an Australian employer to sponsor him or her for the right visa.
According to the official jobs and skills website in Australia, the median full-time weekly earnings for Production Managers are $2,320. When the amount is multiplied by 52 weeks, it comes down to around $120,640.00 per year before taxes.
The median full time weekly earnings for Engineering Managers are $3,519 or about $182,988 per year.
If you already have technical qualifications, management experience and engineering skills or specialised production experience, this will make the manufacturing sector in Australia an interesting sector to explore.
This guide makes a few points clear about what $120,000 factory jobs might be, what kinds of jobs you should be looking for, and how they can be employer sponsored, where you can look for positions, and how to apply online.
What Does a $120,000 Factory Job in Australia Actually Mean?
Career-seekers interested in factory jobs can find positions in general production, skilled technical jobs, supervision, engineering, maintenance and manufacturing management.
Employers are going to want someone with the ability to organise production systems, employ complex machinery, manage employees, oversee industrial machinery, or streamline industrial systems or technical functions; and this position would likely be offered to someone with this skill set.
Overtime, bonuses, allowances or other incentives may also be a component of some positions.
So don’t target only the “factory worker” job listings if you are looking for one of these opportunities.
Do not limit to craft or technical worker occupations, but also look at skilled manufacturing positions.
Other job titles that are useful to note are: Production Manager, Manufacturing Manager, Production Supervisor, Engineering Manager, Maintenance Manager, Industrial Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Process Engineer, Maintenance Engineer, Quality Manager, Plant Manager and Technical Manager.
Salaries vary from one employer to another, based on the job location, industry, skills and experience, and job requirements and circumstances.
When perusing a job ad for hires worth $120,000, it is important to carefully review and verify that it is a base salary or a total compensation package.
Factory Jobs That Can Reach $120,000 or More
Experienced employees can usually start earning more than $120,000 in a number of manufacturing jobs.
1. Production Manager
Production managers are responsible for much more than supervising workers.
Coordinate production tasks, track output, manage resources, manage costs and assist in maintaining production quality.
According to the Jobs and Skills Australia, Production Managers see a median weekly full-time income of $2,320.
This comes out to about $120,640 a year, pre-tax.
If you’re a seasoned production manager for a big manufacturer, you could earn over $120,000 annually depending on the job specifications and compensation.
2. Engineering Manager
Another specialty where manufacturing workers can make significantly more money than general production workers is engineering management.
Engineering Managers supervise engineering and tech operations.
They can be involved in production engineering, maintenance, technical standards, project schedules, budgets, and safety and equipment performance.
Median weekly earnings for Engineering Managers are $3,519 per week (full time equivalent), according to Jobs and Skills Australia.
This will be roughly $182,988 per annum in gross salary pre-tax.
If you have a strong background of engineering qualifications and have industrial experience that is applicable to this role, this can be a nice path to target a $120,000 salary if you are an international applicant.
3. Manufacturing Engineer
Combining Manpower with Equipment is the job of a Manufacturing Engineer to help businesses improve product manufacturing.
Their work may be production systems, machines, automation, improvement of production processes, efficiency, quality and manufacturing technologies.
A manufacturing engineer can interact directly with manufacturing teams and also have to do with Technical documentation, Equipment and Process optimizations.
As of 2015, the average Manufacturing Engineer salary is approximately $104,102 per year in Australia, ranging from ~$76,196 to ~$142,230 AU$ based on experience, location and employer.
So positions in manufacturing engineering for those with experience are available for about $120,000 or higher.
4. Maintenance Manager
Stability of machinery is a key requirement for factories.
When equipment breaks down from the production line, the company may face financial and time losses.
These problems are avoided by coordinating the processes of preventive maintenance, repair, technical staff and equipment reliability through maintenance managers and senior maintenance professionals.
This career path may appeal to those with previous experience in industrial machinery, electrical, mechanical, automation or manufacturing systems.
Recently, the average salary of Maintenance Managers in Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics in Australia can be seen to be around $126,759 per year.
5. Process Engineer
Process engineers are concerned with optimizing the process of production.
They might consider manufacturing processes, identify inefficiencies, reduce waste and help to improve productivity.
Natural data analysis, robotics and production technology, among other elements can be process engineering in highly automated industries.
A Process Engineer in Australia receives an average salary of approximately $106,440 per year, based on a range of $106,440 to $148,034 yearly with experience and geographic location and employer.
The average salary of Senior process engineers is approximately $127,677 annually.
Experience may therefore be enough to qualify for jobs of this level or higher, and upwards, with salaries of $120,000 and up.
6. Plant or Operations Manager
Plant managers can have responsibility for an entire manufacturing facility.
They can be responsible for production, staffing, safety, maintenance, quality, budgeting/operational performance, depending on the employer.
The job carries with it a great deal of responsibility and this can lead to better pay in senior plant and operations jobs.
A job as a Plant Manager, Manufacturing in Australia typically offers a salary of around $134,942 annually, and report base pay of around $94,000 to $164,000 for 2026.
An experienced plant/operations manager can then find employment at or above $120,000.
For international applicants however, it is important that they focus on the specific occupation that is listed as a visa nomination.
Being employed does not make someone eligible for the visa.
Can a Factory Employer Sponsor an Overseas Worker?
Australian employers can sponsor an overseas skilled worker when the visa and overseas skilled worker sponsorship requirement are met.
One important pathway is the Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482.
This visa is for an employer to sponsor a skilled worker who is unable to employ a suitably skilled Australian worker.
Once the nominated occupation is on the Core Skills Occupation List, the occupation will be listed within the Core Skills stream.
The applicant is also required to meet the requirements, such as skills and experience in the nominated occupation.
In the Core Skills stream applicants must have a minimum of one year of related work experience in the nominated occupation.
That is the reason why it is not sufficient to just say you saw a job opening in a factory and want to be sponsored by them.
The occupation, your experience, the employer and the salary offer must meet the necessary immigration requirements.
Which Australian Visa Should You Look At?
There is no one particular “factory worker visa”.
For your occupation, employer, qualifications, experience and other circumstances, the most appropriate visa will be determined.
Skills in Demand Visa Subclass 482
One of the most important employer-sponsored temporary skilled visas is the Skills in Demand visa.
The nominated occupation needs to be part of the Core Skills Occupation List through the Core Skills stream.
The visa may enable eligible persons to reside in Australia for four years, in compliance with the conditions of the visa.
Must be nominated by the employer and the applicant has to demonstrate skills and experience required for the occupation.
Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186
The Employer Nomination Scheme is one route to permanent residence for skilled emigrants who are eligible for it.
For skilled migrants nominated by an Australian employer they may petition for permanent residence in the Direct Entry stream, provided that they meet visa requirements.
But a person should not presume that once they receive an offer of employment for $120,000, they are considered to be on the right course for subclass 186.
Permanent visa requirements will not apply and will need to be checked.
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa Subclass 494
Eligible skilled workers can also be sponsored by regional employers under subclass 494.
In general, they are required to be nominated by a specific recognised sponsor, be on the skilled occupations list for their specific field, pass the required skill assessment requirements and meet other requirements.
If you’re willing to live in a region outside of Australia’s major cities, then you may want to consider this option.
How to Apply Online (Step by Step)
Step 1: Confirm Your Occupation Is Eligible
Read the Core Skills Occupation list on the Department of Home Affairs website. Skilled occupation lists include jobs such as metal fabricator, welder (first), fitter, machinist, industrial electrician, production manager (manufacturing) and a range of engineering jobs.
Step 2: Prepare an Australian-Style Resume
What employers in Australia are looking for in a CV: 2 – 4 pages needs to include dates, specific experience with machinery/equipment, certifications, measurable achievements such as “implemented preventive maintenance schedule which reduced line downtime 18%”.
Step 3: Get Your Skills Assessed (If Required)
A favorable evaluation by Trades Recognition Australia gives you a tremendous edge in credibility with sponsors and is essential for certain visa pathways and passportholders in many trades. It will take months to do this early, including reviewing the historical records.
Step 4: Search and Apply on Legitimate Job Platforms
Submit applications via existing channels that are free:
SEEK: is the country’s biggest job board, you can filter your searches by industry, visa sponsorship and keywords as well such as visa sponsorship + manufacturing.
Jora, LinkedIn Jobs and the careers sites of big manufacturers (such as large food processors, steel and aluminium producers, packaging companies.)
Recruitment agencies specialising in manufacturing and engineering trades. Candidates do not pay legitimate agencies, the agencies get paid by the employers.
Step 5: Interview and Secure a Written Offer
For jobs abroad, interviews are typically done online. Have a Plan B for describing your practical experience in detail. Australian hiring managers dig deep to find the real stuff.
Step 6: Employer Lodges Nomination; You Lodge the Visa Application
When you are nominated by an approved sponsor you submit your visa on-line via ImmiAccount on the Home Affairs website together with your documents, English test result and health and character evidence. With Core Skills, processing usually occurs within a few weeks to months.
How to Find $120,000 Factory Jobs With Sponsorship
The most common error made by international students is that they look up a single keyword.
Rather, utilize a number of job titles.
For example, search for:
“Production Manager visa sponsorship Australia”
“Manufacturing Manager sponsorship Australia”
“Manufacturing Engineer visa sponsorship”
“Maintenance Manager sponsorship Australia”
“Process Engineer manufacturing Australia”
“Plant Manager visa sponsorship”
“Engineering Manager manufacturing Australia”
“Industrial Engineer Australia sponsorship”
“Factory Operations Manager Australia”
“Production Supervisor visa sponsorship Australia”
You can also search using the location.
Consider local areas like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Geelong and regional manufacturing areas.
It certainly is not only major cities though.
There is major industrial, agricultural processing, food manufacturing, mining-related and engineering activity in regional Australia.
A less competitive market in a region might present opportunities that are not available in the thick of metro markets competition.
How to Prepare Your CV for an Australian Factory Job
The skills that are relevant to your CV should be apparent.
Avoid creating generic CVs to send to multiple companies.
For production management careers, emphasize production planning, team, safety, quality, inventory and cost control, and productivity improvement.
When applying to engineering positions, emphasize your engineering background, mechanical ability, experience with machinery, projects and improvements realized.
When you are seeking employment, describe the machines you’ve used.
Discuss applicable experience in preventive maintenance, breakdown maintenance, troubleshooting, automation, electrical systems, mechanical systems, or other areas of expertise as appropriate.
Whenever possible, use measurable achievements.
Don’t just write that you “managed production”, but describe the number of workers that you supervised or how you improved production efficiency.
Rather than state that you “worked on maintenance”, describe what kinds of machinery you maintained and what kinds of jobs you performed.
Employers expect proof of ability to perform the job.
What Skills Can Make You More Competitive?
The technological sophistication of manufacturing is increasing.
Employers might prefer candidates with a knowledge of automation, robotics, industrial control systems, quality management, maintenance and production planning and workplace safety.
You should be proficient with computers as well.
Experience using enterprise resource planning systems, manufacturing software, computer-aided design and industrial automation or data analysis can enhance an application depending on the role.
For those going for management jobs, leadership experience is an added benefit.
A laborer with the ability to use equipment is useful to have.
The combination of the ability to use equipment, be able to trouble-shoot issues and enhance production, and to lead a crew can provide a worker with the potential for better jobs.
Conclusion
There is a shortage of over $120,000 factory jobs in Australia in the following factory specialties: Production Management, Engineering and Technical Operations, Maintenance Leadership, Process Improvement and other specialised manufacturing functions.
According to Jobs and Skills Australia, the median weekly full-time wages of Production Managers are approximately $2,320 and the median weekly full-time wages for Engineering Managers are approximately $3,519.
Overseas workers may have an opportunity to come to Australia on an employer sponsored visa if their employer, occupation, salary and the applicant meet the appropriate criteria.
One important employer-sponsored visa is the Skills in Demand subclass 482 visa, and the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 189 visa can be a permanent visa to provide a visa pathway for eligible workers.
It’s best to go simple.
Find a genuine job.
Match up with the Job.
Check on the sponsorship route.
Get ready for a robust application.
Obtain information about immigration status from official sources of the Australian government before paying money or making significant moves into the country.