Western Australia's Skilled Civil Shortage Worsens
Western Australia's civil construction industry faces a worsening skilled labor shortage of 3,900 workers due to COVID-related restrictions, competition from other states, and lack of immigration, leading to significant constraints on project delivery and tendering, while the government plans to address this through increased training incentives and prioritizing skilled migration, urging businesses to optimize resource use with scheduling software.
Western Australia’s civil construction industry is experiencing a significant shortage of skilled workers following over a year of COVID-related international and inter-state worker restrictions. According to a recent survey by the Civil Contractors Federation (CCF WA), the industry currently lacks 3,900 additional workers needed to address the ongoing stream of infrastructure projects.
Why is this happening?
The Resources Sector Workforce Report (RSWR) identifies several reasons for the current and projected shortage:
- Competition from eastern states
- Internal competition between Western Australian projects
- Demand for shutdown resources
- The conclusion of final investment decisions, leading to new projects beginning construction
- Lack of immigration
The RSWR projects that the resources sector’s skills shortage could reach 33,000 people by 2023.
What does the shortage mean for civil construction and maintenance companies?
The skilled labour shortage is expected to worsen. Results from the CCF WA Western Australian Civil Construction Workforce Availability Survey show:
- 63% of businesses said their ability to deliver existing contracts is moderately to severely constrained.
- 61% said their ability to tender for more work is moderately to severely constrained.
- 88% reported job vacancies (advertised for two weeks or more) they cannot fill.
What’s the Government doing about it?
Long-term, the government is considering additional training incentives, aiming for a strong uptake of civil construction traineeships in WA to create a new generation of skilled workers.
In the short to medium term, the government plans to prioritize engineer visas to Australia to increase skilled migration and fill critical skills gaps.
What can you do to keep your business competitive?
With workers in short supply, it’s important to maximize the use of limited resources. Resource scheduling software can provide visibility into asset utilization, highlighting where assets are idle. Managers need to optimize their time and avoid administrative burdens. Key employees often waste time on paperwork and manual data entry for payroll. Resource scheduling software allows for efficient allocation of workers’ time, freeing up resources for business development and tender work.
While labour shortages indicate healthy activity in civil construction, they also add significant pressure on contractors’ operations. Staying competitive requires adopting new technologies that promote productivity, safety, and quality work.
Assignar as your resource scheduling software
Assignar is a cloud-based construction operations software designed to help self-perform contractors and subcontractors improve productivity, profitability, safety, and quality in both the field and office. The platform enhances key operational components such as labour and equipment management, scheduling, field data, timesheets, and more. To learn more about Assignar for resource scheduling, you can book a demo on their website.