Ahead of the Jobs & Skills Summit, UDIA National calls on Government to immediately fast track initiatives that resolve shortages in the construction workforce, including the need for tradespeople, skilled subcontractors, civil engineers, town planners.
“Our economy will struggle if training & skills targets are not expanded and fast-tracked. Even if migration figures increase, Australia still faces the challenge of being internationally competitive to attract the right talent,” said Max Shifman UDIA National President.
Construction represents 11% of the national workforce and delays from skilled worker shortages in our industry is contributing to a steep increase in costs and a rapid decline in housing affordability. Government must address the challenge of attracting critical workers in the middle of a housing shortage, particularly in regional areas..
The skills related issues, contributing to the current housing shortage include:
- Construction job vacancies are up 80% since late 2019 (Arcadis Construction Costs Report)
- Circa 105,000 more workers are needed in less than 18 months (Australian Constructor Association).
- This is almost 50% greater than the number of people who are qualified to fulfil the roles (Arcadis Construction Costs Report).
Over the last 2 years, the shortage of workers has delayed housing construction by 6-18 months.
“Australia needs to be front and centre on attracting talent and reducing unnecessary barriers to entry if it wants to compete in globally competitive markets. We need to replace our population, help grow that talent, and provide jobs and affordable housing for new arrivals,” Mr Shifman said.
UDIA National calls on the Federal Government to fast-track skilled workers through migration, jobs and training, to ensure there is enough labour in the short and medium term, to reduce delays and bolster capacity. This will make a huge impact on reducing runaway delays and costs that are undermining housing affordability and delivery of homes to Australians.
“The increased productivity from this strategy will further boost growth in jobs and in other industries, particularly as every dollar spent on housing construction flows into 40-plus sectors and generates $2.90 into the broader economy,” Mr Shifman said.
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