Trade availability at highest levels – especially plasterers – since at least 2002: HIA

Alistair WalshDecember 8, 2020

Persistent and widespread weakness in the home-building market had put the new home construction sector in recession - triggering the highest availability of skilled labour since at least 2002, according to HIA’s latest report.

The HIA Trades Report found a significant increase in the availability of skilled labour in the June 2012 quarter.

“Tens of thousands of tradespeople are feeling the pressure of persistently weak residential building activity, while the loss of skilled labour to the resources sector will intensify the longer recessionary conditions persist,” says HIA’s Harley Dale.

He called for government policy to support the sector.

“Governments have a crucial role to play in delivering investment and reform to boost housing activity. Furthermore, now is the time, during cyclical weakness, for policy makers to accelerate reform and investment in skills and training to avoid labour re-emerging as a constraint on a future housing recovery.”

He says the climate is good for homebuilders with increasing competition between labourers.

The HIA Trade Availability Index was at +0.20 for the June 2012 quarter, meaning that trades were in moderate oversupply, while the HIA Trade Prices Index eased by 0.7%, putting it at just 0.1% growth for the year.

The report is a quarterly measure of trade prices and availability on a capital city and rest of state basis for 13 different trade categories in the five largest states.

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Alistair Walsh

Deutsche Welle online reporter

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