Construction labours to fill staffing gaps
Economist Gareth Kiernan, of Infometrics, said Auckland housing would need more recruitment than was necessary after the Canterbury earthquakes. At that time, a lot of migrant workers were called into Christchurch to help recovery efforts.
‘‘I don’t think anyone expected at that point in time to have to keep on pouring more labour resources in but that has turned out to be the case.’’ He said there were concerns about the quality of labour that some building firms were having to hire. There were reports of some workers unable to attach cladding properly. ‘‘People are rushing to get things done. There’s concern that in five or 10 years’ time there could be another leaky building issue.’’
John Tookey, head of department for built environment engineering at AUT, said a lack of tradespeople was a global concern.
‘‘For many years we have had society transition to university for everything, degrees for all sorts of things that historically would have been school-leaver jobs. The trades have been looked down upon,’’ he said.
In the UK, the average annual salary for a scaffolder is now £40,942 (NZ$79,300), compared to an architect’s £38,228. In New Zealand, graduate
In the first of a series examining the challenges facing the construction sector, Susan Edmunds looks at the chronic shortage of skilled staff.
architects were earning between $40,000 and $80,000 in 2013. Construction workers earned an estimated $51,000.
Tookey said it was hard to see where the people required would come from, especially as the Government moved to cut immigration.
Grant Florence, chief executive of the Certified Builders Association, said a survey of his members conducted before Christmas showed that hiring was their biggest concern.
The cyclical nature of the industry made it hard for building firms to take on staff, Florence said. ‘‘The Government should support employers to take on apprentices [in downturns] to help take the peaks and troughs out. They are the largest client in the commercial area – they could be doing work on an anticyclical basis.’’
A Government pledge to carry out its work during quiet periods would help employers and could reduce the Government’s costs, he said.
Trade Me said there had been a 27 per cent drop, year-on-year in the number of labouring roles advertised on the site.