High demand has resulted in a continued shortage of skilled trades across Australia, a new report shows.
According to the latest HIA Trades Report*, the industry Trades Availability Index declined from -0.90% to -0.92% in the June 2022 quarter.
HIA Economist Tom Devitt believes the fall is due to skyrocketing demand for new home building.
“As at March 2022, there were over 100,000 houses under construction across Australia, a record high and almost 80% higher than pre-pandemic levels”, Devitt said.
“This elevated demand, and constraints in access to skilled trades from overseas, have resulted in this acute shortage of skilled trades”, Devitt added, noting that there have been improvements in some international and domestic supply chain indicators, including an easing in shipping container, oil and timber prices.
“Labour constraints are proving more persistent. Job vacancies are at record highs in every industry and shortages of skilled trades are likely to persist into 2023, if COVID-related staff absences continue, and overseas workers only slowly return.”
The Trades Availability Index dropped in New South Wales and Western Australia across both capitals and regions, while Adelaide also saw a further deterioration.
The areas of greatest scarcity in the June 2022 quarter were regional WA and Adelaide, with Index readings of -1.13% and -1.11% respectively. Melbourne had the highest levels of availability, at -0.75%, followed by regional Queensland (-0.80%) and Brisbane (-0.86%).
The most acute shortages existed in bricklaying (-1.51%), carpentry (-1.34%) and roofing (-1.26%). The least acute shortage was in electrical trades (-0.38%).
*The latest HIA Trades Report provides a quarterly review of the availability of skilled trades and any demand pressures on trades operating in the residential building industry.
