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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationDrop in ACT apprentice numbers raise alarm for housing target
Drop in ACT apprentice numbers raise alarm for housing target
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HIA Executive Director ACT/Southern NSW, Geordan Murray, said the data is troubling at a time when the ACT has set an ambitious target of building 30,000 new homes by the end of 2030.
“The number of construction trade apprentices in training in the ACT has fallen 26 per cent since the peak in mid-2022,” Mr Murray said.
“What’s even more concerning is that current numbers are now 16 per cent lower than before the pandemic, meaning we are going backwards at a time when we need to be building up our workforce to deliver the homes our community needs.”
The decline has been seen across all key residential building trades:
- Carpenters down 15%
- Plumbers down 17%
- Tilers down 21%
- Painters down 31%
- Electricians down 12% – despite urgent demand driven by electrification initiatives
“The most alarming figure is for bricklaying apprentices,” Mr Murray said.
“Before the pandemic, we had 62 bricklaying apprentices in training. Today, we have just 15. This is simply unsustainable if we want to keep building homes at the rate the ACT Government is targeting.
“We must take urgent action to make careers in the building and construction industry attractive to young people and ensure the training system is set up to support the next generation of skilled workers.
“Without a strong local pipeline of skilled trades, the ACT’s housing and electrification ambitions are at serious risk,” concluded Mr Murray.
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