Melbourne Tradie Shortage Leads to 8% Pay Rise

The skills shortage is having a big impact on the price of using a ‘Tradie’ in Melbourne, with an annual price increase of 8.3 per cent in the 12 months to March.

The latest HIA-Austral Bricks Trades Report highlights a further decline in the availability of Tradespeople in the housing industry, placing upward pressure on prices.

With a renewed focus by government and the community to increase the supply of affordable housing, HIA’s Executive Director (Acting) for Victoria, Robert Harding, expressed concern that this could prove more costly to achieve than was desirable given the shortage in skilled labour.

“We’re all paying the price for an inflexible apprenticeship system that makes it difficult to attract and retain workers into the building industry,” Mr Harding said.

“We need to urgently increase the supply of affordable housing in Melbourne, but with a shortage of skilled tradespeople it could take longer and cost more than it needs to.”

Mr Harding said more can be done to reverse the problem.

“One part of the solution is to make the apprenticeship system more flexible, so that people who don’t complete it can still walk away with intermediate qualifications that are recognised by the industry,” Mr Harding said.

“By doing this we will attract and retain more skilled tradespeople in the industry, and reduce the upward pressure on the price of a ‘Tradie’.”

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