AIQS calls for migration, education and housing policies to work together to strengthen Australia’s construction capacity.
Australia will struggle to meet its housing and infrastructure ambitions unless greater investment is made in the skilled workforce needed to plan, cost and deliver projects, according to the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS). AIQS is calling for a coordinated approach to migration, education and housing policies that addresses immediate skills shortages while building Australia’s domestic construction and built environment workforce for the long term.
AIQS supports targeted skilled migration to address demonstrated shortages across construction and the built environment. However, migration must be complemented by sustained investment in education and training. AIQS is calling for greater government investment in university and vocational education pathways into construction and built environment careers, together with initiatives that attract more Australians to these professions and support them to remain in the industry.
AIQS CEO, Dr James Cameron, stated that Australia’s migration debate needs to include greater consideration of the nation’s construction and built environment workforce capacity.
“Population growth increases demand for housing and infrastructure, but skilled migration can also bring in the people we need to help deliver it”, Dr Cameron said.
“The question is whether we have the workforce capacity to deliver the volume of housing and infrastructure we are planning. If we want to build more homes, we need to build the workforce to deliver them.”
“Skilled migration can help address immediate shortages, but it cannot be our only workforce strategy. We need to be investing now in students and workers who will deliver our future housing and infrastructure”, Dr Cameron commented.
“That means ensuring education and training providers have the funding and capacity to produce the skilled professionals our industry needs and that young Australians can see strong, viable career pathways into the built environment.”
“Quantity Surveyors, as the industry’s construction cost professionals, are a critical part of this workforce, providing the cost planning, feasibility, procurement and cost management expertise required to turn housing and infrastructure commitments into deliverable projects.”
“Housing targets should also be informed by realistic assessments of industry capacity, including the availability of skilled professionals and trades, construction costs, escalation, supply chains and project feasibility.”
“Setting ambitious housing targets is important but we need enough skilled people across the entire construction pipeline, from feasibility and cost planning through to procurement, construction and completion.”
“Migration policy, education funding, skills development and housing policy, therefore, need to work together. We need an immediate response to skills shortages and a long-term plan to develop the workforce required for the decades ahead.”
“Ultimately, Australia cannot separate the conversation about how many homes we need from the conversation about who is going to deliver them.”
“Investing in our future construction workforce is key to addressing housing supply and delivering the infrastructure a growing Australia needs”, Dr Cameron added.
