Nursery hand

Nursery hands perform a range of tasks in nurseries. They propagate and care for plants, and may also serve and advise customers.

Find out what a nursery hand does and the related Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses and pathways you can take to secure a job.

What is a nursery hand?

Nursery hands oversee the life cycle of plants in a nursery or garden centre. They propagate new plants, including trees, bushes, vegetables and flowering plants. They also look after the plants, including watering, weeding, and pest and disease control.

As a nursery hand, you may also be involved in the presentation of plants for sale. You may advise customers of the best plants for their environment, and assist with customer service.

Find out more about nursery hands(opens in a new window) and these related jobs on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):

Explore these related TAFE and training courses on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):

You may be eligible for government funding to help pay for your course.

Average salary

The average weekly earnings for nursery persons in Australia is $821.

Source: Your Career(opens in a new window)

Note this salary is current as of April 2024 and is indicative only. A range of salaries apply to different roles across the industry.

Job demand in Victoria

Below are the employment projections for nursery person and garden and nursery labourer jobs in Victoria. Figures show the number of workers in 2024 and the new workers expected to enter the workforce by 2027 and 2034.

‘New workers expected’ accounts for workers adding new jobs to the economy and replacing retirees over the next 3 and 10 years. These projections are estimates only. There will be additional jobs available as people move between jobs and industries.

Separate nursery hand statistics are not available.

Nursery person job projections

Region	Workers 2024	New workers expected by 2027	New workers expected by 2034
Victoria	1,467	65	352
Melbourne – inner metropolitan	36	<10	12
Melbourne – inner south-east metropolitan	53	<10	13
Melbourne – southern metropolitan	417	25	91
Melbourne – northern metropolitan	80	<10	30
Melbourne – eastern metropolitan	364	17	66
Melbourne – western metropolitan	69	<10	29
Ballarat and surrounds (Central Highlands)	61	<10	<10
Bendigo, Echuca and surrounds (Loddon Campaspe)	83	<10	<10
Geelong, Colac and surrounds (Barwon)	72	<10	22
Gippsland	74	<10	23
Horsham and surrounds (Wimmera Southern Mallee)	28	<10	<10
Mildura, Swan Hill and surrounds (Mallee)	45	<10	<10
Shepparton, Seymour and surrounds (Goulburn)	29	<10	<10
Wangaratta, Wodonga and surrounds (Ovens Murray)	22	<10	<10
Warrnambool, Hamilton and surrounds (Great South Coast)	34	<10	<10

Garden and nursery labourer job projections

Region	Workers 2024	New workers expected by 2027	New workers expected by 2034
Victoria	11,657	1,203	6,067
Melbourne – inner metropolitan	368	50	242
Melbourne – inner south-east metropolitan	368	35	186
Melbourne – southern metropolitan	2,958	291	1,417
Melbourne – northern metropolitan	986	129	670
Melbourne – eastern metropolitan	2,187	188	984
Melbourne – western metropolitan	910	134	675
Ballarat and surrounds (Central Highlands)	402	46	219
Bendigo, Echuca and surrounds (Loddon Campaspe)	467	48	238
Geelong, Colac and surrounds (Barwon)	704	88	423
Gippsland	919	88	449
Horsham and surrounds (Wimmera Southern Mallee)	171	10	57
Mildura, Swan Hill and surrounds (Mallee)	329	20	112
Shepparton, Seymour and surrounds (Goulburn)	264	24	125
Wangaratta, Wodonga and surrounds (Ovens Murray)	273	25	130
Warrnambool, Hamilton and surrounds (Great South Coast)	351	26	140