This report forecasts the building and construction industry needs 130,000 additional workers this year to overcome workforce shortages. It takes a closer look at the current state of the industry, the impact of chronic workforce shortages, and recommends policy measures to relieve the pressure.

The report argues that fixing the workforce shortages in the industry over the last decade include bringing more people into trade apprenticeships, tapping into skilled migrants from comparable jurisdictions, and creating a more diverse and inclusive culture that will draw professionals from other sectors into the industry. To do this, there must be effective industry collaboration with Government and other bodies such as BuildSkills Australia on workforce planning and skills development.

The recommendations cover:

• women
• apprentices 
• skilled migrants 
• lifelong learning
• business acumen 
• industrial relations, and 
• regulatory burden.