Hire Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
2025-10-01
Hire Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
trades assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
Why hire a trades assistant?
A trades assistant supports tradespeople in their work by completing basic tasks, such a general labouring, maintenance and cleaning. They are directed by tradespeople or supervisors to perform tasks as required to provide on-the-job support. The work completed by trades assistants enables tradespeople to focus on completing higher level tasks, so they play an important role in ensuring the work site operates efficiently and productively.
Contributions of a great trades assistant:
- assist tradespeople with their daily tasks
- perform maintenance on tools and equipment
- keep the work site clean and safe for all employees.
Deciding between a full-time vs freelance trades assistant
When recruiting a trades assistant, consider whether your business requires a full-time or contract
employee
.
A trades assistant can be beneficial when you are completing a large project or need to meet a deadline, as they can be completing basic tasks such as fetching tools, preparing materials or undertaking maintenance while your qualified tradespeople work. During quiet periods for your business, however, the support trades assistants provide may not be required. Therefore, a trades assistant employed on a short-term contract may be more suitable for your business than a full-time
employee
.
A full-time trades assistant can be beneficial if your workload is steady. Hiring a full-time trades assistant may also be more cost-effective than hiring a qualified tradesperson.
What are the different types of trades assistant?
Trades assistants most commonly work in the construction, manufacturing, mechanical and electrical industries. While they complete similar general labouring work in each industry, such as sweeping floors and cleaning tools, there are some unique aspects to working in each industry. Therefore, industry-specific skills may be required.
- Construction trades assistant: Roofing, carpentry, bricklaying and plumbing skills may be required as well as the ability to carry materials with care.
- Manufacturing trades assistant: Welding skills may be a requirement, as well as a knowledge of working safely with hot metal.
- Mechanical trades assistant: Reassembling mechanical components and changing oil and filters in engines are common tasks.
- Electrical trades assistant: A knowledge of working safely with electricity is essential, while working with small parts and components requires attention to detail.
Where to find a trades assistant?
To find the right trades assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Engage a labour hire or recruitment firm: These agencies may have a pool of
talent
readily available to be considered for the position, or can conduct recruitment on your behalf.
- Ask for referrals among your existing employees: Your current workforce may be aware of potential candidates who are looking for this type of work, such as those who want a foot in the door into the trades industry to get a start in their careers.
- Approach a training organisation: Group training organisations and training providers may have students enrolled in courses who are not yet employed as an apprentice and looking to gain hands-on experience.
Post your job online: Try posting your trades assistant job on Indeed to find and attract quality trades assistant candidates.
Skills to look for in a great trades assistant
A great trades assistant candidate will have the following skills and attributes, as well as work experience that reflects:
- basic knowledge of hand and power tools
- ability to follow safety protocols
- willingness and ability to perform manual labour
- collaboration and teamwork skills
- licences as required, such as a white card or welding licence.
Writing a trades assistant job description
A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified trades assistant candidates. A trades assistant job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.
When writing your job description for a trades assistant, consider including some or all of the following keywords to strengthen the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on trades assistant jobs, according to Indeed data:
- trade assistant
- FIFO
- electrical trade assistant
- construction
- forklift operator
- forklift driver
- FIFO, trade assistant
- labourer.
Interviewing trades assistant candidates
Strong candidates for trades assistant positions will be confident answering questions regarding:
- previous work in the industry
- safe work practices
- experience using specific tools
- ability and experience working collaboratively
- licences and certifications held.
Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of trades assistant interview questions for examples (with sample answers).
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.
