Overview of this occupation
Cabinet and Furniture Makers fabricate and install cabinetry, and fabricate, assemble and repair wooden and cane furniture, and fit and assemble prepared wooden parts to make furniture.
What they do:
- Apply decorative or textured finishes or coverings
- Assemble wood products
- Attach decorative or functional accessories and fittings to products
- Compare physical characteristics of materials or products to specifications or standards
- Confer with clients, customers, or designers to determine needs or discuss designs and plans
- Measure dimensions of completed products or work pieces to verify conformance to specifications
- Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines or other indicators
- Operate woodworking equipment
- Review designs, blueprints, specifications, diagrams, work orders or other documentation to determine work requirements
- Shape surfaces or edges of wood work pieces
What technology tools they use:
- Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) technologies
- Facilities management software
- Industrial control and automation software
- Project management software
- Technical design and modelling software (2D and 3D)
What their interests are:
- Practical – they enjoy working with equipment, operating machinery and fixing things.
- Scientific – they enjoy investigating, experimenting, discovering new ideas and analysing data.
- Social – they enjoy focusing on social welfare and working with people.
Source: Australian Skills Classification, job and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence and Jobs and Skills Australia, ABS Census 2016, Customised Report.
Quick facts
Cabinetmaker
All employees nationwide 1
The number of people employed in an occupations as their main job across all Australian states.
Projected growth 2
The projected increase in employment in Australia from May 2023 to May 2028.
Working in NSW 3
The distribution of people employed in an occupation in NSW.
Median weekly earnings before tax 4
Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed.
Median age of all workers 5
This shows the median age of all workers in this occupation.
Part-time workers 6
Those who usually work less than 35 hours per week.
See footnotes for source details and additional information.
Skills and knowledge
What are they good at?
This table lists skills and knowledge categories according to how relevant they are for this occupation.
Intermediate | Basic familiarity |
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Source: Australian Skills Classification, Jobs and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence.
Education and qualifications
Cabinetmaker – Skill level 3
Occupations at Skill Level 3 have a level of skill commensurate with one of the following:
- AQF Certificate IV or
- AQF Certificate III including at least two years of onthejob training
At least three years of relevant experience many substitute for the formal qualifications listed above.
Source: Conceptual basis of ANZSCO, ABS Survey, Release Nov 2021.
Qualifications in this workforce
This table shows the distribution of employment by highest qualification completed (in any field of study).7
Year 12 and below
Certificate III or IV
Diploma or Advanced Diploma
Bachelor`s degree
Post-graduate
Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
Use this as a guide for understanding what qualifications are the most common in this field. For personalised support on your education journey, talk to a Careers NSW specialist.
Talk to one of our specialists
At any career stage you can talk with a specialist from Careers NSW about your goals and how you can achieve them.