Labour shortage is driving up construction costs and stopping industry from building enough homes to ease housing crisis, Master Builders says
Leading construction bodies are urging the government to change its approach to skilled migration and bring in more migrants to ease the shortage of tradies.
In an April survey of Master Builders members , 85% said it was a struggle to find suitably qualified workers and 66% said sourcing workers was the biggest issue facing the industry.Denita Wawn, the CEO of Master Builders Australia, said the industry was “extraordinarily desperate” for more workers, and that migrants were the answer in the immediate term.
She said construction costs had blown out by 40% since the pandemic, and attributed a large portion of that increase to labour shortages.As part of the changes, a “skills in demand” visa was proposed, but the occupation list did not include any trades. A spokesperson for the home affairs department said the government was currently “considering advice from Jobs and Skills Australia on the Core Skills Occupation List and will release its final decision shortly”.
“Trades prices are running at an annual growth rate of 3.4%, which is much higher than the 2.0% average over the decade prior to the pandemic.”
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Toilet queues disproportionately impact women — but desperate times don't always call for desperate measuresQueuing is never a pleasant experience, especially if you're desperate to go — and while new research has revealed it's an issue that disproportionately affects women, experts say that tweaks to building codes could help reduce the problem.
Read more »
Five graphs show how the Australian family labour market is workingThe Australian Bureau of Statistics says the number of families in Australia has gone up by a million in a decade, but it is couples who are more likely to live without dependants.
Read more »
Australian superannuation funds push Keir Starmer’s Labour government for reforms to unblock British infrastructure dealsIFM and six leading super funds are publicly pushing the Starmer government for reforms to help unblock the UK’s sluggish pipeline of infrastructure deals.
Read more »
Australian Women in Music Awards shine a light on women in the Australian music industryWith an aim to advance equality in the music industry, winners at this year's Australian Women in Music Awards have been celebrated in Brisbane.
Read more »
Emma D’Arcy: ‘I’m desperate for a sword on House of the Dragon next season’The actor on modernising the Greek myths, performing opposite a tennis ball, and how their love of a negroni went viral
Read more »
Pogacar’s desperate attempt for ‘perfect season’ as Slovenian superstar eyes off 75-year recordSupercars: Check out all the action from Bathurst OFF the track... We take you behind the scenes of Motorsport's greatest weekend.
Read more »