ANZSCO 3311-11Australian Capital Territory

BricklayerAugust 2017

LabourMarket Research and Analysis Branch

Department of Jobs and Small Business

Current labour market ratingShortage

Previous labour market rating (September 2016)Shortage

Comments

Strong construction activity in the ACT is maintaining strong demand for bricklayers. There are few applicants for available vacancies and employers have marked difficulty recruiting.

Survey results[1]

  • The labour market for bricklayers in the ACT remained tight in 2017.
  • There were, on average, 2.0 applicants per vacancy and 0.3 qualified and suitable applicants.
  • Shortages have been persistent in this labour market since 2014. The labour market for bricklayers tightened considerably in 2014 (Figure 1). Since then there has been fewer than one suitable applicant per vacancy and less than one third of vacancies have been filled.
  • All employers surveyed in 2017 had at least one unfilled vacancy.

Figure 1: Proportion of vacancies filled (%), average number of applicants and suitable applicants per vacancy (no.), Bricklayer, ACT, 2007 to 2017

Source: Department of Jobs and Small Business, Survey of Employers who have Recently Advertised

Key to ratings: S = Shortage NS = No shortage, * = National Rating

Employer Requirements

  • All employers required applicants to hold a Certificate III in Bricklaying.
  • An Occupational Health and Safety induction white card is a prerequisite to work on construction sites in the ACT.
  • Employers also generally required applicants to have completed asbestos awareness training and have their own transport.

Unsuitable Applicants

  • All employers considered applicants who did not hold a Certificate III in Bricklaying to be unsuitable.
  • All certificate III qualified applicants were regarded as suitable by employers.

Demand and supply trends

  • Demand for bricklayers is driven by activity in the construction industry, particularly residential building.
  • The value of building work done has fallen in the ACT, but remains relatively strong, supporting demand for bricklayers.
  • Residential building decreased by 3.0 per cent over the year to June 2017, while nonresidential building fell by 16.3 per cent over the same period.[2]
  • Lower residential building was largely driven by a decrease in new apartment construction, while residential alterations and additions also fell. This fall was partially offset by an increase in new house building.[3]
  • Looking at construction more widely shows that there was a strong rise in engineering construction in the ACT over the past year[4], although this is unlikely to have significantly affected demand for bricklayers.
  • Entry to this trade is usually through the completion of an apprenticeship.
  • Bricklaying apprenticeship numbers are relatively low in the ACT.[5]
  • Over the past five years, commencements averaged around 18 per year, while completions averaged around 13 per year.

Outlook

  • The outlook for building in the ACT is mixed, but there is some evidence to suggest that activity will moderate over the next year.
  • ABS data showthatthere is a solid pipeline of residential work in the ACT, with the number of dwelling approvals increasing strongly over the first half of 2017, although they remain below the peak recorded in September 2016.[6]
  • The Housing Industry Association (HIA)expects that new dwelling commencements will fall by 2.0 per cent in 2017-18(with large falls in multi-unit construction offsetting growth in house construction), before rising by5.6per cent in 2018-19. Renovation activity is expected to be positive, with growth of 8.6 per centin 2017-18 and a 3.1per centin 2018-19.[7]
  • Some reports suggest that bricklayers are likely to be the first construction trade significantly impacted by automation with automated bricklaying technology already approaching commercial maturity.[8]

LabourMarket Research and Analysis Branch

Department of Jobs and Small Business

[1]The methodology underpinning this research is outlined at Skill Shortage Research Methodology | Department of
Jobs and Small Business - Document library, Australian Governmentand can also be accessed by the QR code.

[2]ABS, Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary, June 2017, chain volume measures, seasonally adjusted

[3]ibid

[4] ABS, Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary, June 2017, chain volume measures, trend

[5] NCVER, Apprentice and Trainees, March 2017, estimates (qualifying for Certificate III in Bricklaying/Blocklaying)

[6] ABS, Building Approvals July 2017, trend

[7] HIA, New Housing Outlook, March 2017

[8]Sydney Morning Herald, Fastbrick signs a deal with Caterpillar to develop bricklaying robots, accessed 22 August 2017