Without tradies, Australia cannot build for the future

Build Skills Australia’s recent report claimed that there aren’t enough tradespeople to meet Labor’s target of building 1.2 million homes over five years, which is currently tracking 27% below target.

According to Build Skills Australia, Australia’s housing construction rate per new resident has plummeted, even though the number of homes built over the last 20 years (174,000 dwellings annually) is significantly higher than in the previous 20 years (145,400 dwellings annually).

This is because Australia’s population has grown at a record pace thanks to net overseas migration.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.