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If you are hiring electricians in Melbourne and assuming you sit near the top of the national market, the numbers say otherwise.
SEEK's salary data, refreshed 1 September 2026:
Melbourne is below the national average at both ends. Brisbane pays $15,000 more at the bottom and $20,000 more at the top.
That is not what most Victorian employers expect. The assumption is that a bigger city with more commercial construction pays more. For electricians it is the reverse.
[This is inference, not established fact - treat it as a working theory rather than a finding.]
Queensland has been running a heavy pipeline of infrastructure, resources and energy work that competes directly for the same licence. Victoria's commercial electrical market is larger in absolute terms but has more qualified electricians competing within it. More supply, softer rates.
The practical effect is the same either way: an electrician in Melbourne who is willing to relocate or work FIFO has a $20,000 argument in front of him, and the licence transfers.
The good news, and it is real. You are hiring in the cheapest capital-city market for this trade. If your budget was built on national figures, you have room.
The risk. You are not competing with the shop down the road. You are competing with Queensland and with FIFO rosters, and both are visible on any job board your candidate opens. A Melbourne offer at $85,000 is $35,000 below the top of the Brisbane band.
The trap. Because Melbourne rates are soft, it is tempting to advertise at the bottom of the range. Picture two employers advertising the same commercial maintenance role, one at $85,000 and one at $98,000. Both are "within the Melbourne range". Only one of them gets a shortlist inside a fortnight.
Which licence the role actually needs. In Victoria the relevant licence types are the A Grade electrician's licence, the Restricted Electrical Worker's licence (REL) for limited scopes, and Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) status for the business. A role advertised as "electrician" that actually requires A Grade plus REC-covered work is a different, more expensive hire than one an REL holder can do.
Whether you need Victorian licensing at all. Under mutual recognition an electrician licensed in another state can generally obtain the equivalent Victorian licence. If you are struggling at Melbourne rates, a Queensland or South Australian candidate is not out of reach - but factor the relocation conversation into the offer.
What the package is worth beyond base. In a soft-rate market the non-salary components carry more weight, not less. A vehicle, predictable hours, and paid ticket upgrades are the levers that make an $88,000 Melbourne offer beat a $95,000 one somewhere else.
Melbourne is the cheapest capital city in Australia to hire an electrician right now. That is an advantage if you use it deliberately and a liability if you assume the market is tighter than it is and advertise at the floor.
Check your number against the Brisbane column, not against what you paid in 2024.
HJ Recruitment places permanent electrical, plumbing, HVAC and refrigeration, fire and solar tradespeople with Australian employers. If you want a read on what your specific role should be paying before you advertise it, ask us.
Sources- SEEK - Electrician salary, Melbourne- SEEK - Electrician salary, Brisbane- SEEK - Electrician salary, Australia- Energy Safe Victoria - electrical licence types
