Construction Worker Shortages in Australia

by John Mcclane Professional SEO Expert

National employment figures in Australia for workers in the construction industry continue to increase. According to the news and the construction forum, there is still a high demand for skilled employees with experience in construction trade jobs. With multiple building projects happening across the country and strong investment and interest in road construction and the improvement in general commercial conditions, construction worker shortages mean Australia still looks to bring in workers from other countries to fill in the gaps.

The surge in building activity across Australia comes after a period in the country that saw fewer construction trade jobs that led to fewer apprentices and workers becoming skilled in construction. That is why when the surge began and continues, the country was left facing a problem in certain areas including tiling and roofing and bricklaying. Just a couple of years ago statistics showed that over 60% of workers were employed in the construction industry and men outnumbered women in the industry by over 7 to 1.

With the booming property market, mining projects, and its growing place in the business world, the demand for workers is higher than the supply. On the country's construction forum there are strong indications that this will be true for several years still. In fact, according to the Department of Labour, in order to cover the requirements that current projects have, the country would need around 15,000 trainees to complete their apprenticeships each year, for the next half a decade. Currently, the graduate numbers sit at about 12,000. Over the next several years, Australia then will need to find about 50,000 skilled workers.

A large part of the need for workers is also due to the project of installing the National Broadband Network. The idea being millions of businesses and homes being connected. With this project and others adding demand to the supply. Australia is not the only country finding themselves short of workers, it is true in the US too as fewer people graduating from school choose to enter into a trade. This is good news for people that do choose to enter the trade, and the higher demand should see better pay and more chance for promotion too.

Take advantage of the opportunities this presents

Getting work in construction trades jobs if you are already in the country means undergoing the necessary training and apprenticeships. An RTO can ensure you are able to gain High-Risk work license required in some areas of construction as well as the construction based training you are looking for. There are several Registered Training Organizations you can choose from, just make sure they are reputable and leaders in training and assessments. Choose an RTO that is more about the quality of training and covers important areas such as hazard recognition, lifting applications, height safety requirements, equipment use, and risk control. If you are a worker with experience living in another country reach out to immigration experts and check the Australian government site for options of coming to the country to work.