![\"Sally](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/874922ad42b36b92ad6ebbfec3a36885b51faefe.png\")
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August 16, 2026 \u2014 7:30pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Extremely early starts on frigid days, crawling in roof cavities, and bad-tempered dogs \u2013 according to the hundreds of Day in My Life videos that populate the internet, these are common realities in the workplace for Australia\u2019s electricians.<\/p>\n Despite the hazards (which also include risk of electrocution or severe burns from live wires, breathing in toxic building materials, and falls from dangerous heights), being an electrician has never been more popular.<\/p>\n Government datasets analysed by KPMG show that after a stable period of about 150,000 sparkies nationwide, the number of electricians across the country exploded to 184,000 in 2025.<\/p>\n This is playing out locally \u2013 more than 11,000 apprentices were enrolled at TAFE NSW to become electricians last year, an increase of 4.5 per cent since 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cThe number of electrical apprentices waiting more than six months to commence training is falling \u2013 from almost 1000 in 2022 to none this year,\u201d NSW Skills Minister Steve Whan said.<\/p>\n Kaitlyn McMahon, 31, is among the largest cohort of electricians in Australia\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Inspired by her father, McMahon has a history of working on heavy machinery \u2013 including Victoria\u2019s iconic Puffing Billy train, and later trucks. She then moved to the rail at Port Kembla\u2019s steelworks, where she now works as a fourth-year apprentice electrician with BlueScope.<\/p>\n \u201cI really wanted to challenge myself \u2026 I\u2019ve just fallen in love with the trade,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n KPMG economist Terry Rawnsley said several factors were behind the large jump in numbers since 2022.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cOne is that during that period, we\u2019ve seen heaps of demand for residential construction \u2013 new builds, a big surge of renovations and knockdown-rebuilds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sector provided people with a certainty: there\u2019s going to be jobs for me over the next two or three years. That\u2019s also lined up with Free TAFE. Those things help to shift people\u2019s perceptions that a trade is a good way to earn a wage and get ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond construction, there is demand for electricians in mining, solar farming, data centres and upgrading electrical networks.<\/p>\n It is also work that cannot \u2013 yet \u2013 be done by AI.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s at far less risk of being disrupted than your traditional white-collar job. The robots can\u2019t get in there and rewire a house just yet,\u201d Rawnsley said.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Electrical](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9d1692c5e361a59b11fecdf8f188efc49be9b00d5032dfd180bf6c4103d6c28b.jpeg\")
Electrical apprentice Kaitlyn McMahon at BlueScope Steel, Australia\u2019s largest crude steel production plant. Martin Feld<\/p>\n![\"\u201cAI](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786880052_821_9586ff12536490f6f593f9675e4d4d979b00b076.jpeg\")
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