Master Builders calls for urgent, coordinated action to mobilise the housing workforce

Master Builders Australia has welcomed BuildSkills Australia’s Housing Workforce Capacity Study 2025 and is urging the Federal Government and state and territory Skills Ministers to adopt a practical, industry-led plan to lift capacity across apprenticeships, women’s participation, migration, productivity and the training system.

The report confirms what builders see on the ground: to meet the National Housing Accord goal of 1.2 million homes by mid-2029, Australia needs about 116,700 additional workers on top of business-as-usual, roughly a 24 per cent step-up by 2029.

Crucially, BuildSkills outlines five levers that can unlock people and lift output – apprenticeships, women in construction, smarter migration settings, productivity improvements, and reforming the VET system to deliver at volume and speed.

Industry now has the opportunity to talk in more detail about some substantive reform actions that might assist in unlocking workforce barriers to delivering more homes.

Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said builders are ready to deliver the homes Australians desperately need, but the workforce challenge is real and immediate.

“The commitment to addressing skills and workforce shortages is crucial in achieving the National Housing Accord.

“This report gives governments a practical playbook to act swiftly and in a coordinated fashion so that labour supply and training capacity don’t become the handbrake on housing.

“Government must pull the high-impact levers to reduce the cost and friction of taking on apprentices, open clear pathways for women and mid-career entrants, modernise migration, drive productivity through procurement and planning, and expand the training system’s bandwidth.

“Do these things now and we can turn commitments into keys in doors,” Ms Wawn said.

BuildSkills underscores that while housing demand is strong, new-dwelling supply is stuck around 44,500 per quarter and private developers still deliver 98 per cent of completions, meaning improved investment conditions must be matched by workforce capacity and productivity to translate into actual homes.

The market remains squeezed by a “pincer movement” of higher delivery costs and weakened purchasing power.

“We will work closely with governments to ensure any policy changes are fit for purpose, do not have any unintended consequences, and resolve the housing crisis,” Ms Wawn concluded.

Media: Dee Zegarac, National Director, External Affairs and Engagement
0400 493 071 | dee.zegarac@masterbuilders.com.au