Construction Manager Salary: How Your Hourly Rate Compares to the Legal Minimum

Construction manager salary: what you need to know

If you are researching the construction manager salary in Australia, you probably want to know two things: what is the legal minimum you must be paid, and how does your rate compare to what others earn. This guide separates the legal floor from survey averages, award rates, and negotiated salaries so you can make a practical check against your own hourly rate.

The legal minimum for construction managers

Construction managers are typically not covered by a modern award. The Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020, for example, covers on-site building workers such as carpenters, labourers, and trades assistants – not managers who plan, organise, direct, and control projects. If you are a construction manager and no enterprise agreement applies to your role, you are award-free. In that case, the national minimum wage set by the Fair Work Commission is your pay floor.

From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, the adult national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week for a 38‑hour week. Casual employees receive a 25% loading, making the casual minimum $33.05 per hour. These rates apply to national‑system employees who are award‑free and agreement‑free. Your employer must also pay superannuation guarantee of 12% on top of your ordinary time earnings.

If you are under 21 and award‑free, different junior percentages apply. For example, a 20‑year‑old construction manager would be entitled to 97.7% of the adult rate, or $25.84 per hour. Apprentices and trainees in award‑free roles follow the Miscellaneous Award, not the junior percentages.

Award rates for on‑site building workers

While construction managers are usually not covered by the Building and Construction General On‑site Award, it is worth knowing what that award pays for comparison. The award has nine classification levels. The highest ordinary classification (Level 9) pays $34.46 per hour from 1 July 2026. That is well above the national minimum but still far below the typical construction manager salary. If you supervise trades or work as a foreperson in the metal and engineering construction sector, the award may apply to you – check the definitions in Schedule A of the award.

Survey averages: what the ABS and Jobs and Skills Australia report

The most reliable source for actual construction manager earnings is the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, published by Jobs and Skills Australia. For the occupation group “Construction Managers” (ANZSCO 1331), the median full‑time weekly earnings are $3,751 as at May 2025. That works out to about $87 per hour based on the average full‑time hours of 47 per week. Remember that this is a median – half earn more, half earn less. Your own construction manager salary will depend on experience, project size, location, and whether you are an employee or a contractor.

These figures are for full‑time non‑managerial employees paid at the adult rate. The ABS deliberately excludes managers from this calculation to avoid skewing comparisons, but the occupation “Construction Manager” is itself a managerial role, so the data is still the best available benchmark.

How to check your own rate

To see where you sit, take your hourly rate (before tax and before super) and compare it to the national minimum of $26.44. If you are above that, you are meeting the legal floor. Then compare to the median of $87. If you are below that, you may be underpaid relative to the market, but that does not necessarily mean your employer is breaking the law – only an award or agreement can set a higher minimum.

If you are covered by an enterprise agreement, that agreement must pass the better‑off‑overall test and cannot undercut the national minimum. Always check your agreement or award first. For help identifying which pay floor applies, see our Which minimum wage applies guide. For current rate tables, visit our Rate tables page.

Superannuation and other payments

All the rates discussed here are before tax and before super. The superannuation guarantee requires your employer to contribute an additional 12% of your ordinary time earnings into a complying super fund. This is on top of your salary, not deducted from it. If you are negotiating a construction manager salary, remember that super is an extra cost to the employer and part of your total remuneration package.

What about contractors?

If you operate as a sole trader or through a company, the national minimum wage does not directly apply. Your rate is whatever you negotiate with clients. However, if you are a genuine employee misclassified as a contractor, you may be entitled to the minimum wage and other protections. The Fair Work Ombudsman can help determine your correct employment status.

Summary

• Legal minimum (award‑free): $26.44 per hour ($1,004.90 per week) from 1 July 2026.
• Award rate (if applicable): Up to $34.46 per hour under the Building Award Level 9.
• Median earnings (ABS): $3,751 per week, about $87 per hour.
• Super: 12% on top.

Use the chart above to see how your hourly rate compares to the median. For more detail on how these figures are calculated, see our How the figures work page.