Australia’s trade industry is facing a severe skills shortage, despite the high pay and international interest.
Tradie software specialists NextMinute has crunched the numbers, coming across some interesting results.
“Across Australia, trade businesses are struggling to recruit,” NextMinute CEO Alex Jenks said.
“These shortages are slowing down projects, driving up costs, and putting pressure on business owners.
“By shining a light on the most in-demand trades, we hope to help employers plan better, and highlight where support or skilled migration is needed most.”
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Australian Government stats have electricians (2,755 vacancies) and welders (1,412) as the two top tradie industries vacancy rates. Motor Mechanics (3,430) tops the lot.
SEEK listings indicate the issue could be deeper, with 16,725 electrician jobs listed among other data discrepancies.
Overseas interest
Internationally, there’s plenty of interest for becoming an Aussie sparky, with it leading international search data, according to NextMinute.
Top international searches:
- Occupation – Average Monthly Searches
- Electrician – 2760
- Welding – 1060
- Plumber – 770
- Carpenter – 650
- Bricklayer – 490
- Labourer – 400
- Mechanic – 290
- Plasterer – 240
- Tiler – 190
- Concreters – 180
If search data is anything to go by, tradies from the UK are by far the most interested in making the trek Down Under.
- Country – Average Monthly Searches
- UK – 2700
- India – 860
- New Zealand – 690
- South Africa – 530
- United States of America – 460
“Interestingly, the countries showing the most interest don’t always align with the trades in greatest need,” Jenks added.
“For example, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics have over 500 official vacancies, but little international search activity, pointing to blind spots in global awareness of Australia’s workforce needs.”
Top earners
Tradie professions continue to experience shortages despite plenty being well-paid gigs. NextMinute’s research indicates the top earners to be:
- Structural steel construction workers: median $3,120/week
- Air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics: over $2,000/week
- Electricians: median $2,204/week
The full breakdown can be found here.