Australia is facing an estimated shortage of 141,000 construction workers and that figure is expected to peak at 300,000 by 2027.
Sydney labourer Sallie Oxborough was able to buy her first home after switching careers to work in the construction industry. (Source: A Current Affair)
Hundreds of Australian women are wanted to fill construction jobs, including in the lifting and craning industry. Just one in 25 crane operators in Australia are female, and there are calls for more women to enter the industry with lucrative roles paying up to $150,000 a year.
Australia is currently facing an estimated shortage of 141,000 construction workers, according to Infrastructure Australia. That's expected to hit a peak of 300,000 by 2027, driven by an increase in demand for privately funded renewable energy projects.
Women in Construction is a new government-funded program that is hoping to see the number of females in the industry increase.
We want to have 1,500 women who are trained and in construction roles, Women in Construction career adviser Jessica Holz told A Current Affair.
Which doesn't sound like a lot on paper, but it is a lot when you know that there's only 3 per cent of women in the industry.
The inaugural open day in Sydney's south-west was focused on getting more women into the lifting and craning industry in particular.
A lot of women don't know about this side of construction. You can earn a lot of money doing these roles, Holz said.
Salaries on offer can be up to $150,000 a year, she said.
Single mum making 'double' her kids after changing jobs
Sydney woman Sallie Oxborough got into the construction industry after raising her kids as a single mum.
The 43-year-old previously worked at cafes and canteens while her kids were in primary school. She got into traffic control through a friend and continued to move through the ranks.
I'm a labourer, I'm a hoist operator, forklift operator, occupational first aider. I've been a health and safety rep, she said.
Oxborough worked for a T1 builder for 11 years and said she was the only female CW construction worker in the state.
She wants to inspire more women to get into the industry and said her job meant she was able to buy her first house, something she hadn't thought would be possible.
I would have never done that working in a cafe on my own, raising two kids, putting them through primary school, high school, uni. So, wow, what a blessing, she said.
Oxborough said she was earning double what her daughters made, who had acquired university degrees.
According to SEEK, construction labourers earn $65,000 to $75,000 per year on average, while traffic controllers earn $60,000 to $80,000 on average, and crane operators earn between $130,000 and $150,000 on average.
Infrastructure Australia revealed the country's five-year major public infrastructure pipeline had grown $29 billion over the past year to reach $242 billion.
Infrastructure Australia CEO Adam Copp said governments were doubling down on energy transmission and housing projects, while continuing to deliver the major transport projects needed.
This added demand will not come without challenges for the market—productivity growth remains sluggish, while worker shortages present a significant risk to the delivery of projects, he said.
Shortages could have acute impacts for regional areas, with 10 regions across NSW, Tasmania and Queensland forecast to see public investment rise by at least 200 per cent.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/1500-aussies-wanted-to-fill-jobs-paying-up-to-150000-per-year-what-a-blessing-010400344.html
