83,000 tradies needed to hit 1.2M home target in 5 years

The National Housing Accord sets an ambitious goal of building 1.2 million homes over the next five years. Reaching this target will require a volume of home building that is around 50 per cent higher than the current level, which is a level of building Australia has never achieved in the past.

HIA’s* All Hands On Deck found that if Australia is to reach the Housing Accord target of 1.2 million homes in the next five years there needs to be an injection of 83,000 tradespeople into the workforce. 

“The residential building industry currently employs approximately 278,000 tradies across the twelve key trade occupations required for home building," said HIA’s executive director of future workforce, Geordan Murray.

"The trades workforce needs to grow by at least 30 per cent to meet the Accord’s goals. 

"That’s over 83,000 additional tradies.

“This means a significant boost in the number of apprentice chippies, sparkies, plumbers, brickies, and concreters to get these much-needed homes out of the ground and to lock up.

"We need to attract more people to careers in the construction industry, we need to ensure that there are enough employers creating the employment opportunities and providing the on-site work experience, and we need well-resourced VET providers delivering high-quality training. 

“There needs to be a more concentrated effort educating people on the benefits of a trade qualification.

“The skills, knowledge, and experience gained throughout a trade apprenticeship in the construction industry open doors to a wide range of career opportunities.

“Secondary school students need greater exposure to these opportunities throughout their schooling, but efforts must also be directed at promoting the value of trade apprenticeships to recent school leavers and others looking to take their career in a new direction.

“There must also be greater support for the businesses who are creating employment opportunities for apprentices and providing supervision and workplace experience.

“The Commonwealth and States have committed to improve resourcing of TAFEs, however it is important to recognise that these public institutions can not do all the heavy lifting.

“Training the number of workers that the industry needs will require a boost to TAFEs and supporting the large network of private and industry VET providers delivering high-quality training to trade apprentices.

“In its upcoming federal budget submission, HIA will outline how government can make the necessary adjustments to grow the residential building industry’s workforce at a time when Australia is facing a severe shortage in the housing market.

“The time for business-as-usual solutions has passed, and we need all hands on deck and coordinated government actions to address the chronic tradies skills shortages,” concluded Geordan. 

*The Housing Industry Association (HIA) is Australia’s only national industry association representing the interests of the residential building industry.

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