Cavalier Homes Echuca supervisor Stuart Lynch hard at work.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Shepparton glazier Peter Shields is already working 14-hour days to keep up with demand, and he fears things are set to get worse.
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The North Vic Glazing owner said five or six glaziers in the Shepparton region would likely retire within the next five years.
“There’s enough work for every glazier currently in the Shepparton region,” he said.
“You take away six companies, and you can see what’s going to happen. There’s going to be no glaziers left here.”
The workforce shortage comes as a new Master Builders Australia report predicts Australia could face a construction worker shortfall of almost one million people by 2035. It says that right now, Australia is more than 140,000 tradies short of where it needs to be.
The report identified attracting, training and retaining workers as key challenges facing the industry.
Construction worker shortages have been a concern across the country for some time.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
That extends to Shepparton, where the ageing workforce is already hitting home for Mr Shields.
“I’m 47, yet I’m one of the youngest qualified glaziers in the Shepparton region,” he said.
He wants to grow his team to three or four as competitors retire, but retaining workers remains a concern.
Of the dozen apprentices he has had over the years, he said none remained in the industry.
Mr Shields said the problem extended well beyond glazing, with more incentives needed to encourage people to enter and stay in the trades.
Cavalier Homes Goulburn Valley director Jason McHugh said construction businesses had faced worker shortages across all trades since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of tradies left to go to other states as they couldn’t work here,” Mr McHugh said, referring to Victoria’s lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Now, it’s the worst it’s ever been in my lifetime.”
After more than 30 years in the building industry, he said difficulty recruiting workers was growing.
“All my life I wouldn’t have had to put an ad in the paper,” he said.
“Now I do and you get one applicant.
“We may be able to find a junior but we need skilled workers too.”
Cavalier Homes Goulburn Valley director Jason McHugh believes all the trades are struggling.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Mr McHugh said businesses were also competing with council and government employers for skilled workers, which could offer higher wages.
“I think competing against the government is one of the hardest things,” he said.
“More tradies means more competition and better prices for everyone.”
Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn said urgent action was needed to meet Australia’s housing, infrastructure and economic needs.
Master Builders Australia’s report contains 32 policy recommendations, including introducing a training bond, tax rebates and reforming Recognition of Prior Learning checks on a person’s competency.
“The longer action is delayed, the harder and more expensive this challenge will become,” Ms Wawn said.
“Migration remains an essential part of the solution, but it cannot replace the need to rebuild Australia’s domestic skills pipeline.”
Mr Shields said skilled migration would be needed alongside efforts to attract and retain local workers.
“Otherwise we’ll be waiting months on end to get a tradesman,” he said.
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