Overview of this occupation
Forklift Drivers operate forklifts to move bulk materials, containers, crates, palletised goods, cartons and bales.
What they do:
- Communicate with others to coordinate material handling or movement
- Load materials, cargo or equipment
- Move and store materials, equipment or products
- Operate cranes, hoists, winches, or other moving or lifting equipment
- Operate material-moving equipment
- Operate packing, recycling, or other material-processing equipment
- Set up or position material handling equipment
- Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping or grading
What technology tools they use:
- Barcode reading technologies
- Inventory management software
- Procurement and supply chain management systems
What their interests are:
- Practical – they enjoy working with equipment, operating machinery and fixing things.
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
Forklift Driver
All employees nationwide1
The number of people employed in an occupations as their main job across all Australian states.
Projected growth2
The projected increase in employment in Australia from May 2023 to May 2028.
Working in NSW3
The distribution of people employed in an occupation in NSW.
Median weekly earnings before tax4
Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed.
Median age of all workers5
This shows the median age of all workers in this occupation.
Part-time workers6
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 |
|
Intermediate
|
Source: Australian Skills Classification, Jobs and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence.
Education and qualifications
Forklift Driver – Skill level 4
Occupations at Skill Level 4 have a level of skill commensurate with one of the following:
- AQF Certificate II or III
At least one year 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.
Next steps
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.