According to an article in Friday’s Townsville Bulletin the areas worst hit with a trade skills shortage are:
- Regional Queensland
- Brisbane
- Adelaide
- Perth
On my previous article Renovate in Townsville Townsville in 2008 I had written on how hard it will probably be to find skilled trades for renovation work. According to the article the Housing Industry Association of Australia found that all 13 residential construction trades are in short supply, with all of the skilled trades indexes currently in the negative.
Lynette from The Road to Amherst blog is looking at needed some skilled trades in regional Victoria. I don’t know specifically how the trades shortage stack up there, but she reckons, as a lot of other people probably do, that DIY and Owner Builder may be the only way to get things done in the current building climate in Australia.
Technorati Tags: Australia trades shortage, trade skills shortage
I can think of a few housebloggers who’d be willing to come and lend a hand from the States. 🙂
If you have the skills, and the certificate, it could be well worth moving to Australia with wages for a carpenter getting up to $55.00 per hour.
The quality of life in Australia is pretty good too, and the cost of living is going up, but still not too bad.
I am a carpenter from the States and I have been told I am to old (Im 53 ) to come to Australia to work .I have been to Australia several times and I would love to come to work and live permanently ,however there seems to be a big thing about the age deal .If anyone wants I can mail you a CV/Resume.I have my own retirement and medical as I am retired from the military.Sincerely,Nick Nichols,DC1,USCG,(RET)
You would be too old for a standard working visa (I think they only go up to 30) from what I understand, but if you are able to get a company to sponsor you there might be a chance. Everything has slowed down in Australia for building, but not to the extent that it has in Canada or the USA.
Have a look at some of the job board and web-sites in Australia maybe and see if there is a company out there willing to sponsor you to come over. There is a lot of paperwork invovled, and a financial cost to you and the company, but if they are after labour you can at least look into it.
Good luck Nick.
I have a good Aussie friend. Lives in the states now, but always made ‘down under’ sound pretty good. Anyway, construction here is slow, low and almost down and out. So some would be happy move.
Well it’s up to the government to get the skills shortages sorted. I know they are changing some of the regulations this year, and the points test pass mark has been reduced to 60pts from 65pts so that should help. Also sponsoring bodies or companies will now be able to search a database for potential skilled migrants / employees.
I like the idea of a searchable database for potential skilled migrants and employees. That could help a lot with some of the shortages Australia is experiencing.
Is there any thought of providing incentives that you know of for skilled workers willing to settle in the more remote parts of Australia where there is a greater shortage of skilled workers? Maybe getting a few extra points or something if they have a 2-year commitment to remote Australia.
Hi Bill,
At the moment skilled migrants can be awarded extra points if they move to regional areas of Australia. Also, people who apply under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) get priority processing on their visa applications.
Regards,
Rob.
Thanks Rob, that’s good to know.