Removalist Jobs: Big Pay for Big Lifting

Want one of the best-paying unskilled jobs a backpacker can walk into? Get yourself onto a removals truck. Removalist work, lugging furniture and boxes between houses, is physically demanding, but it pays well above the minimum, the demand never dries up, and you can often start within a day of asking. If you've got a strong back and you don't mind hard yakka, this is a goldmine.

It's not for the faint-hearted. You'll be carrying couches up three flights of stairs, wrangling fridges around tight corners, and on your feet all day. But the money is real, the days fly by, and there's genuine satisfaction in clearing a whole house and seeing the truck packed like a Tetris champion did it.

What the job involves

As a removalist offsider (sometimes called a "2IC" or "second man"), you're the muscle alongside the experienced lead removalist or driver. A typical day looks like:

• Wrapping and protecting furniture with blankets and shrink-wrap
• Carrying boxes, furniture and appliances to and from the truck
• Loading the truck efficiently so nothing shifts or breaks in transit
• Disassembling and reassembling beds, tables and flat-pack furniture
• Unloading and placing everything in the new home
• Plenty of stairs, plenty of lifting, plenty of walking

The lead removalist handles the truck, the customer and the loading strategy. Your job is to be a reliable, careful pair of hands who works at pace without damaging the goods (or your back).

The pay

The 2026 minimum wage sits at $24.10 per hour, but removalist work consistently pays well above it because it's heavy and not everyone can hack it. Expect roughly:

• Offsider / second man: around $28–$35 an hour
• Driver (with the right licence): more again, often $35+ an hour
• Overtime and weekends: moves spill into long days, so penalty rates and overtime can pad the pay nicely

Removals is one of those rare jobs where being fit, fast and friendly literally pays more. Customers tip, leads request you back by name, and good offsiders get first pick of the shifts. Reliability is currency here.

Cash jobs are common in this trade. Tempting, but you lose your super, you've no record for tax or visa purposes, and you're more exposed if something goes wrong. Working on the books keeps you protected and makes reclaiming your tax and super straightforward when you leave. Get it set up right from the start with help from MyGig.com.au.

How to land one

The good news: removals companies are almost always hiring, because the work is seasonal-heavy and offsiders come and go. Here's how to get on a truck fast:

• Apply directly to removals companies. Look up local removalists in whatever city you're in and email or call them. Many will take a keen backpacker on a trial shift immediately.
• Labour-hire agencies. Plenty specialise in placing removalist offsiders and can keep you in steady work across multiple companies.
• Gig and job apps. Search "removalist", "furniture removals", "offsider" and "removalist mate".
• The hostel network. Removals leads circulate fast, especially around the end of the month when leases turn over.

What makes you hireable

• Physical fitness and a willingness to lift. This is the core requirement, full stop.
• A good attitude with customers. You're in people's homes on a stressful day; friendly and careful goes a long way.
• A manual driver's licence is a bonus, and a light/medium rigid truck licence opens up driver roles and much better pay.
• Punctuality. Moves start early. The offsider who's there at 6:45am for a 7am start gets the call again.

When the work is busiest

Removals follows the rental calendar. The end of every month is hectic as leases roll over, and the summer months (roughly December to February) are peak season as families move during school holidays. If you time your arrival in a city for these windows, you'll have your pick of shifts. Quieter mid-winter periods can mean fewer hours, so stack work while it's hot.

The reality check

• Your body will feel it. The first week is rough. Lift with your legs, not your back, and you'll toughen up quickly.
• No two days are the same. Different houses, different cities, different suburbs. Some backpackers love that they see parts of town they'd never otherwise visit.
• Stairs are the enemy. Apartments with no lift are the great leveller. Embrace it.
• It builds genuine strength. Three months on the trucks and you'll be in the best shape of your life, for free.

Survival tips

• Wear proper closed boots and gloves. Dropped fridges and splinters are real.
• Hydrate hard, especially in summer. Removals in 38-degree heat is no joke.
• Master your lifting technique early. It's the difference between a long career and a wrecked back.
• Be the one who never complains about stairs. That's the offsider every lead wants back.

Removalist work is honest, physical and surprisingly well paid. For a fit backpacker who'd rather earn top dollar than sit at a desk, it's one of the smartest ways to bankroll your time in Australia, and you'll leave the country stronger than you arrived.