The Australian Constructors Association (ACA) has released a discussion paper, Future Workforce, which focuses on the attraction, retention and productivity of the sector’s future workforce.
The paper is the second to be released in preparation for the upcoming construction industry event, Foundations and Frontiers (FF24).
ACA CEO, Jon Davies, said that at a time when industry productivity is at its lowest in 60 years, the demand for construction workers has never been higher.
“At the same time, the industry is facing significant workforce imbalances,” Mr Davies said.
“Just 12 per cent of the construction workforce are women, highlighting a significant underutilisation of half of the potential workforce, and more people are leaving the industry than joining it.
“In the eyes of the next generation of workers, construction is an industry that is stuck in the past.
“If the construction industry is to survive and thrive, we need to find ways to attract more people into the industry, keep them in the industry for longer and deliver more projects with them when they are working.”
The feedback from the discussion paper will shape the conversations at the FF24 event, set to take place in Sydney on 8 August 2024.
Image: Blazej Lyjak/shutterstock.com
