No easy fix to the shortage

‘‘micro credentials’’ to be adopted, certifying people in specific areas.

Trials have been run around the country and he hoped to roll it out on a larger scale in mid2018.

When the economy goes bust, so does work for the tradies.

When the global financial crisis hit in 2008, the construction industry was hit right along with it, causing workers to drop out and set the industry up for a shortage when the economy – and building projects – picked up again.

MBIE officials pinpointed a ‘‘boom and bust’’ cycle in the construction industry as an underlying cause for a shortage.

‘‘The uncertainty caused by boom and bust has contributed to low investment in skills and training by the sector,’’ Clark says.

New Zealand Certified Builders chief executive Grant Florence says during a recession members saw work in the industry drop off.

‘‘During a down time, lots of people leave the industry and the industry doesn’t necessarily keep people employed or bring in new apprentices. Then we have a growth cycle, like now, and you get a shortage.’’

Across the construction industry in 2010, 14,900 workers left as work dried up.

As the economy started growing again and projects like the Christchurch rebuild and the housing boom picked up, the workers started coming back to construction.

But they can’t keep up with the demand to build – Florence says some members of NZCB were booked up with work until

mid-2019.

Clark says the nationwide increase in construction investment was expected to peak at over $42 billion in 2020.

Demand for constructionrelated occupations is expected to last until at least the end of

2022.

She says demand for those jobs was expected to rise 11 per cent between 2016 and 2022, settling on a figure of 56,000 workers needed in the industry by then.

‘‘The Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa, has made clear one of her priorities is addressing the shortage of skilled construction workers,’’ Clark says.

The construction industry is changing and now includes new methods such as off-site construction.

Salesa was keen to ensure New Zealand had a construction force for the future and had established a ministerial group to look at it, Clark says.

MBIE, government agencies and other key stakeholders will work together to develop a crossagency government action plan.

‘‘Government alone cannot address the skills gap, and the sector has an important role to play in addressing this as well,’’ she says.