chicken icon

Industry CAREERS

To produce a safe and secure supply of Australia’s favourite meat, a very broad range of skills are required, which means there’s a very broad range of employment opportunities to join the industry, and plenty of opportunity to grow within the industry too.

A career in the chicken industry can be a career for life. The domestic chicken meat industry provides creates employment opportunities for more than 58,000 people. Many jobs are located in rural and regional centres of Australia, but the industry also employs people in larger, urban areas where some chicken processors are headquartered.’

Industry jobs

Fancy caring for fluffy newborn chicks? Or researching ways to save water? Or is designing a big advertising campaign more your style? Or are you keen to have a job that pays for a house and car for your family? 

There is a huge variety of jobs in the chicken meat industry, in areas including IT and technology, agribusiness, science, engineering, quality assurance, laboratory services, marketing, transport, processing, veterinary, nutrition, administration and management. Just some of the jobs in the chicken meat industry include:

ACMF workforce chicken barn

On the farm

  • Day-old chicks and broiler truck drivers
  • Farm managers
  • Farm hands
  • Hatchery managers
  • Assistant managers & support staff
  • ‘Bird’ catchers
  • Builders & trades
  • Nutritionists
  • Feed mill operators
  • Administration
  • Biosecurity managers
  • Cleaners
  • Broiler service people and technical support
  • Veterinarians
  • Egg collectors
  • Livestock placement planners
  • Animal welfare & technical services managers
processing chicken meat

PROCESSING

  • Process workers
  • QA managers
  • Engineers
  • Equipment service technicians
  • General labourers
  • Maintenance & cleaning staff
  • Forklift drivers
  • Administration officers
  • HR managers
  • Documentation Staff
  • Lab managers & technicians
  • Processing plant managers & support staff
Chicken industry transportation jobs

DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL

  • Truck drivers
  • Refrigeration technicians
  • Sales & marketing staff
  • Forklift drivers
  • Warehouse staff & managers
Chicken farm

OTHER ASSOCIATED ROLES

  • Scientists
  • IT specialists
  • Analytics
  • Legal & corporate services
  • Senior executives
  • Product development managers
  • Communications officers
  • Audit & certification staff
How do I train to work in the chicken industry?

Some jobs in the industry require little or no training, for example, process workers or label room operators, but if you are keen to understand more about how to raise chickens or how a poultry farm works, there are a range of training courses offered through organisations such as TAFE , training.gov.au, the Victorian Skills Gateway, and Poultry Hub.

For more specialised training, try your local university, looking for courses such as a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Bachelor of Agricultural Technology and Management or Agribusiness Fundamentals. 

If you want to study online, try an online university such as Open Universities Australia.

DOWNLOAD OUR CAREERS FACT SHEET