Latest news with #AlexJenks
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
In-demand tradie job paying $2,204 a week with 16,700 vacancies: 'Real opportunity'
Australia is facing a huge trades shortage in sectors like the building and construction industry, and there have been calls for more females to enter the industry. Female tradies still make up just three per cent of qualified workers, but there are some jobs where the percentage is much higher. NextMinute analysed official labour market data, along with SEEK data, to find the roles where females are earning as much as $2,204 a week. NextMinute's CEO Alex Jenks said there were lucrative opportunities for women who entered a trade. 'Women are increasingly joining and succeeding in trades roles, bringing diversity, skill, and new perspectives to the industry,' he said. 'There is still work to be done, but these figures show real momentum and opportunity for women considering careers in the trades.' RELATED Australia's most in-demand jobs revealed with $125,000 salaries up for grabs: 'Short supply' Major RBA interest rate call set to give homeowners $250 per month win $400 cash boost available for thousands of Aussies in new energy rebate The trade job platform found handyperson roles had a higher proportion of females, with women making up 8 per cent of workers. Handyperson roles currently have more than 3,000 job ads on SEEK, with a median full-time wage of $1,307 per week. Other trades where female participation was increasing included fencing (5 per cent), cabinetmaking (5 per cent) and electricians (4 per cent). Electrician roles are currently in high demand, with more than 16,700 job ads listed and a median full-time weekly earnings of $2,204 per week. Separate data from Employment Hero found construction and trade wages had increased 8 per cent year on year in April, with the median hourly rate now sitting at $50.60 across the industry. Here were the top 5 most popular trades for females and weekly average incomes. For some, only hourly wages were available. Handyperson: 8 per cent female share and $1,307 median weekly wage Building and plumbing labourers: 7 per cent and $1,634 median weekly wage Cabinetmakers: 5 per cent and $1,216 median weekly wage Fencer: 5 per cent and $30 median hourly earnings Electrician: 4 per cent and $2,204 median weekly wage It comes after the government announced it would spend $45 million to get more women into trades, with funding designed to increase advocacy, networking, recruitment and training for women in trades. Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said Australia has 'one of the highest rates of industry segregation among advanced economies'. Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles added that boosting women's participation in trades would be "fundamental to addressing skills shortages" and building Australia's future. Master Builders Australia noted that women made up 15 per cent of the building and construction workplace, but only 3 per cent of them were actually on the tools. The group said cultural change, along with industry structures like more flexible patterns of work, were needed to attract and retain women.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Most in-demand tradie jobs paying nearly $3,200 per week amid crisis: 'Shining a light'
The most in-demand trades in Australia have been revealed, and concerns are being raised about what will happen if these roles aren't filled. The building and construction industries are facing a trade shortage due to a variety of factors, with electricians, labourers, and mechanics topping the list. NextMinute dug in official labour market data and SEEK job listings and found some roles are paying more than $3,100 per week. NextMinute's CEO, Alex Jenks, said this trade shortage is having devastating impacts. "They're slowing down projects, driving up costs, and putting pressure on business owners," he said. Tradie crisis exposed by $32 per hour job advert 'with no skills' required Major bank warning after ANZ customer left 'dumfounded' by cash issue Inheritance warning as 'disgruntled' Aussies left out of wills in growing trend: 'Inevitable' "By shining a light on the most in-demand trades, we hope to help employers plan better, and highlight where support or skilled migration is needed most.' NextMinute revealed there are nearly 22,000 current listings on SEEK for building and plumbing labourers. Similarly with electricians, there are more than 16,700 job ads at the moment, followed by close to 9,750 motoring mechanic roles. Plumbing and carpentry are also in hot demand as the twin industries try to keep up with the government's ambitious aim of building 1.2 million homes by and Plumbing Labourers: 21,994 job ads on SEEK with a median weekly wage of $1,634 Electricians: 16,725 jobs and $2,204 median weekly wage Carpenters: 7,737 jobs and $1,787 median weekly wage Plumber: 5,644 jobs and $2,000 median weekly wage Handypersons: 3,245 jobs and $1,307 median weekly wage Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers: 2,706 jobs and $1,755 weekly wage Cabinetmakers: 1,099 jobs and $1,216 median weekly wage Structural Steel Construction Workers: 1,008 jobs and $3,120 median weekly wage The data also included the likes of plasterers, airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics, bricklayers and stonemasons, wall and floor tilers, fencers, and concreters, however they all had fewer than 1,000 active jobs. Those roles had median salaries ranging from $1,405 to $2,019 per week. NextMinute compared the SEEK data to figures from the government and found a startling disparity. The government's numbers were far lower compared to SEEK, with official labour market data showing there are only 713 job vacancies for labourers. "The discrepancy arises because job ads often represent multiple open roles, re-listed positions, or ongoing hiring efforts, meaning official vacancy numbers may underrepresent the true hiring pressure on trade businesses," NextMinute said. With tens of thousands of jobs needing to be filled locally, there is plenty of appetite from overseas workers. The UK tops the list with more than 2,700 monthly searches for Aussie tradie jobs, followed by 860 from India, 690 from New Zealand, 530 from South Africa, and 460 from the US. Brits were most interested in roles like labouring, electricians, carpenters and plumbers, while people in India were more concentrated to handyperson jobs. 'Interestingly, the countries showing the most interest don't always align with the trades in greatest need," Jenks said. "For example, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics have over 500 official vacancies, but little international search activity, pointing to blind spots in global awareness of Australia's workforce needs'.Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
