BUILDING BOOST
Tradies in hot demand as construction surges
TRADIES, such as carpenters and concreters, are in big demand in the Far North after a surge in land sales and building approvals.
Luke Stein of Strategic Builders is hiring more carpenters with large-scale jobs on Cape York and in the Torres Strait.
But Master Builders are warning of a looming skills shortage.
CARPENTERS and concreters are in hot demand across the Far North after a massive boost in land sales and building project approvals.
Skilled tradies are highly sought-after in job advertisements following an influx of residential home builds, renovations and larger construction projects.
Strategic Builders is one Cairns-based business planning to add new carpenters to its team, with large-scale jobs in Cape York and the Torres Strait under way.
“It’s a building crew that does everything from go to whoa,” Luke Stein of Strategic Builders said.
“Pretty well from the cut from the first block through to handover, our carpenters pretty well do everything.
“We’ve got a couple of big projects going on at the moment … on Saibai Island and Pormpuraaw and a third one is just about to start at Pormpuraaw again, a new police station they’re building out there.”
Bridgewater Builders Cairns is also experiencing a boom with about 54 new homes signed since July 1, according to contracts administrator Alicia Russell.
“The demand for slabs to go down is huge,” Ms Russell said.
“The work we’ve got currently with contracts signed, we’re busy until at least the end of March (2021) and that’s not taking into account any new clients that we bring in.”
But the wave of new builds has sparked concerns there may not be enough qualified tradies in the Far North to complete the work.
Master Builders’ Far North Queensland manager Sharon Vella said there had been 178 new single dwelling approvals made from June to August – a 75 per cent increase on the average month.
She said approvals had spiked soon after the introduction of new government building grants and subsidies.
“There’s definitely already signs of a skill shortage, so builders are finding it hard to secure their trades,” Ms Vella said.
“I would encourage anyone thinking of entering into the industry, certainly consider an apprenticeship in any sector of the industry.
“If you are in year 12, we would seriously consider you to think about something in the industry.”
Ms Vella said there was a wide range of sectors within the construction industry to suit all skills and interests.
“The career path through construction alone is enormous,” she said.
“You’ve got those that don’t want to be on the tools but they might want to be in the paraprofessional section.
“So they might want to be an estimator, a surveyor, a certifier or an engineer.”