“Results of the Master Builders’ September quarter industry survey show the crucial need to address the skills shortages being faced in the building and construction industry – especially in the face of strong population growth in Victoria,” said Radley de Silva, CEO, Master Builders Association of Victoria.

Master Builders seeks input from our members on a quarterly basis to better understand their views on the economy, their business prospects and the conditions they face in the building and construction industry.

“Whilst builders have quite strong expectations for their own business activity, builders are facing delays in sourcing labour and materials and expect increasing costs from this.

“In particular, bricklayers, carpenters, foreman, project managers and site managers have become much more difficult to find over the last 12 months.

“Builders continue to face “satisfactory” profitability in the industry, but they are struggling to reach the heights of the past.

“As housing and infrastructure pressures continue to mount due to a growing population, then so too does the importance of providing the social infrastructure for future generations, like roads, parks, hospitals and schools.

“It is no surprise therefore that whilst builders have good expectations for their own work, they are still worried about what the future for the industry holds.

“The survey shows that expectations for the industry have dropped, and this is most likely because of uncertainty in the economy and around a lack of infrastructure investment.

“The Victorian Government needs to ensure we have a pipeline of shovel-ready infrastructure projects in this state.

“Master Builders urges the Andrews government to finalise the decisions on key roads such as the Western Distributor to inject some certainty into the commercial building and construction sector.

“As with the Victorian government’s recent announcement of changes to the Back to Work Scheme and 50% off car rego for apprentices, the government should also take further action to boost the work available and help create jobs in building and construction,” Mr de Silva said.

The results from the quarterly survey can be viewed here.