Nationally, about 25,000 people currently work as interior decorators. Official projections to 2035 put that figure up 13.9% over the decade, which works out at about 3,450 extra people in the job. That's solid growth without being spectacular, and it reflects work tied to housing stock, renovation cycles and commercial fitouts. Projections describe a whole occupation and don't promise anything to any individual. Even so, sustained expansion on that scale usually opens more room at entry level, and it often brings in employers prepared to train someone qualified but new.
The 2025 shortage list is worth reading carefully here. Interior decorating itself recorded no shortage, so the roles being advertised are mostly getting filled. The regional flag attached to this group belongs to a different trade sitting in the same statistical category, and it doesn't describe decorating at all. That puts you on ordinary competitive terms. What tends to separate applicants is a recognised qualification and a folio showing finished rooms rather than mood boards.
The recognised route into decorating is short. Most people take the Cert IV in Interior Decoration, and Open Colleges lists it below as a nationally recognised qualification. Above it sits MSF50222, the Diploma of Interior Design, which drew 6,420 national enrolments during 2025, and that makes it the busiest qualification in this family. Open Colleges also lists a diploma of its own below. That one reaches wider into design, though it doesn't carry the national code. Start at the Cert IV if you're new to the work, then step up once the jobs you want begin asking for more.
Compare what each one covers, then enquire on the one that fits you. The provider sorts out the details with you directly.
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What's the difference between interior decorating and interior design?
Decorating deals with surfaces and contents: colour, finishes, furniture and styling. Design reaches further into layout, structure and how a space actually functions. The Cert IV below is the decorating qualification, and the diploma is the design one, which is why they sit at different levels.
Do I need a qualification to work as a decorator?
No licence exists for it, so plenty of people work on reputation and folio alone. A recognised qualification still does useful work early on, while you're new and have little finished work to point at.
Which of the two courses should I start with?
Match it to your experience. The Cert IV in Interior Decoration is the nationally recognised starting point, and the diploma suits people aiming wider than decorating alone. Open Colleges was showing both in September 2026.