Australian employers do hire people with no experience, and they train them. What most guides get wrong is the money. Entry-level pay here is set by law through modern awards, and those rates changed on 1 July 2026, so you can check any offer against a published number before you accept it.
What Entry-Level Work Pays From 1 July 2026
The Fair Work Commission raised award wages by 4.75% from 1 July 2026. The National Minimum Wage is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week, which is about $52,255 across a full-time year. Entry classifications in the awards that cover these jobs:
- Retail, Level 1: $1,056.80 a week, or $27.81 an hour — about $54,954 a year
- Hospitality, food and beverage attendant grade 1: $1,004.90 a week — about $52,255. The introductory level is $978.10.
- Warehouse, storeworker grade 1: $1,029.10 a week, or $27.08 an hour, on commencement, rising to $1,041.60 after three months — about $53,513 a year
- Office, clerk Level 1 Year 1: $1,024.70 a week, or $26.97 an hour — about $53,284
- Aged care, direct carer: $1,307.80 a week — about $68,006 a year, after the work value case increases. The introductory rate is $1,239.00.
- Disability and community services (SCHADS), Level 1: $1,046.90 a week — about $54,439
So the guides' $45,000 floor for retail and hospitality is below the legal minimum, their $55,000 floor for warehousing is above what the award actually starts at, and aged care pays more than the $65,000 ceiling they give it. Casuals are paid a 25% loading instead of paid leave: a Level 1 hospitality casual must get at least $33.05 an hour.
Your Age Changes the Rate
No guide mentions this, and it decides what a first job pays. Under the General Retail Industry Award, juniors are paid a percentage of the adult rate:
- Under 16: 45%
- 16: 50%
- 17: 60%
- 18: 70%
- 19: 80%
- 20, in the first six months with the employer: 90%, then 100%
Superannuation Is 12%, Not 11.5%
Guides still quote 11.5%, which was the 2024-25 rate. The super guarantee rose to 12% on 1 July 2025, and the ATO says that was the final scheduled increase. It is paid on top of your wage, so always ask whether an advertised salary includes it.
Aged Care and Disability: The Best-Paid Entry Route
Guides are right that aged care hires newcomers, and the award proves it: it sets a pay point for a direct carer with less than 3 months' aged care experience, so a Certificate III is not needed to start. What you do need is a check:
- Aged care: a police certificate no older than three years, or an NDIS worker screening check instead. New rules under the Aged Care Act took effect on 1 November 2025.
- Disability work: an NDIS Worker Screening Check for risk-assessed roles with a registered provider, valid for up to five years.
The Market You Are Applying Into
The ABS put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 4.5% in July 2026, with youth unemployment at 10.4%, down 0.3 points. So competition for first jobs is real, but the market is not closed.
Mining and Site Work: Check the Ticket First
Guides promise entry-level mining work in regional Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. Jobs and Skills Australia puts most mining jobs in Western Australia and Queensland, and nothing official supports Tasmania as an entry-level mining market. Before a start date you normally need a ticket:
- Queensland coal mines: the Standard 11 induction, covering units such as working safely and applying initial first aid, before you start work.
- Construction sites: a White Card. In NSW you must be at least 14 to do the training, cards from other states are accepted, and a card becomes void if you have not done construction work for two years.
If You Are Here on a Visa
- Working Holiday Maker (417 and 462): you may normally work only 6 months with one employer. Since 1 January 2024 that limit does not apply in critical sectors, including agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care, childcare, tourism and hospitality anywhere in Australia, and construction and mining in northern Australia.
- Student visa (500): 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours when it is not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in Australia in 2026?
$26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week, from 1 July 2026, after a 4.75% increase. That is about $52,255 a year full-time.
How much does an entry-level retail job pay?
Retail Level 1 is $1,056.80 a week, or $27.81 an hour, for an adult from 1 July 2026 — about $54,954 a year, plus 12% super.
Is superannuation 11.5% or 12%?
12%. The rate rose on 1 July 2025 and that was the final scheduled increase.
Do I need a Certificate III to work in aged care?
Not to start. The award has a pay point for a direct carer with less than three months' experience, but you do need a police certificate or an NDIS worker screening check.
What do juniors get paid?
A percentage of the adult rate: 45% under 16, 50% at 16, 60% at 17, 70% at 18, 80% at 19 and 90% or 100% at 20, depending on how long you have been with the employer.
What is the casual loading?
25% on top of the base rate, in place of paid leave. A Level 1 hospitality casual must receive at least $33.05 an hour.
Can I get a mining job with no experience?
Entry-level site roles exist, but Queensland coal mines require the Standard 11 induction first, and most mining jobs are in Western Australia and Queensland.
How many hours can I work on a student visa?
48 hours a fortnight while studying, and unlimited hours during course breaks.
People Also Search For
Australian minimum wage 2026
$26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026, after the 4.75% annual wage review increase.
Retail award rate 2026
$27.81 an hour at Level 1 for adults, or about $34.76 for casuals with the loading.
Aged care worker pay Australia
$1,307.80 a week for a direct carer, about $68,006 a year, after the work value increases.
Warehouse jobs Australia pay
Storeworker grade 1 starts at $1,029.10 a week, about $53,513 a year.
Junior pay rates Australia
60% of the adult rate at 17 in retail, rising to 100% at 20 after six months.
NDIS worker screening check
Required for risk-assessed roles with registered providers, and valid for up to five years.
Working holiday visa 6 month rule
Six months with one employer, with exemptions since January 2024 for care, hospitality, agriculture and other critical sectors.
Youth unemployment Australia
10.4% in July 2026, against an overall rate of 4.5%.
More Job Guides
Comparing entry-level work in Australia and elsewhere? These cover it:
- Construction Worker Jobs in Australia — the award floor, the casual loading and what the White Card really requires.
- Office Assistant Jobs in Australia — administrative pay against the same minimum wage.
- Sales Jobs in Australia — retail and field sales pay, and when commission may replace a wage.
- Plumber Jobs in Australia — where an apprenticeship leads, and what the licence takes.
- Unskilled Jobs in USA for Foreigners — the honest position on American entry-level visas.
- Cashier Jobs in USA — the same counter work priced by state wage floors.
- Retail Associate Jobs in USA — the American version of a first shop-floor job, and how its hiring works.
- Taxi Driver Jobs in Australia
- Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Australia — how employer sponsorship actually works, and which occupation list applies.
- Medical Receptionist Jobs in Australia — a part-time-friendly health admin job, its award and its privacy rules.
- Receptionist Jobs in Australia — an entry-level office job, and what the Clerks Award pays in year one.
- How to Become a Sales Representative in Australia — the licence, working rights and training employers ask for, and the award floor under field sales pay.
- How to Become an Auto Mechanic in Australia — the apprenticeship, the AUR30620 qualification, award pay for apprentices and the routes for overseas-trained mechanics.
- How Foreign Workers Can Get a Job in Australia — every route in compared: employer sponsorship, skilled visas without a job offer, working holidays, the PALM scheme and student work rights.
- Education Assistant Jobs in Australia — the job title in each state, WA pay of $34.75 to $43.28 an hour, and the checks and certificates schools ask for.
- How to Apply for BHP Mining Jobs in Australia — the no-experience pathways, what the FutureFit Academy really offers and official pay benchmarks.
- How to Apply for Qantas Ground Staff Jobs in Australia — the pay Qantas will not publish, from the agreement that does.
This article is for general informational purposes and is not legal or careers advice. Award rates, superannuation, screening rules and visa conditions change. Check the current pay guide on fairwork.gov.au and your visa conditions on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before accepting a job.
