Have you recently tried to call a tradie for repairs or a renovation and had trouble finding one?

As the federal budget once again focuses on boosting housing supply, one critical issue keeps resurfacing. Australia does not have enough skilled tradespeople to fix and renovate existing homes, let alone build the new homes being promised.

This week’s budget promised some measures to address these issues, including

A$75.1 million over four years from 2026–27 for a new trade skills assessment system

$5.6 million over three years from 2026–27 for a new program to recognise skills of people who trained in a trade overseas but aren’t in Australia on a skilled visa (they might, for instance, be here on a different type of visa).

This will help overseas trained tradies get licensed quicker and working in Australia.

The Housing Industry Association lobby group has welcomed this, but also flagged concerns about cuts to programs aimed at encouraging employers to hire apprentices.

And even with extra overseas-trained tradies getting licensed here, the problems are so longstanding it will take some time to make even a small dent in the shortage.

Electricians, plumbers, carpenters and other construction trades will remain hard to find. If you’re trying to build, that often means longer waits and higher costs.

Industry groups estimate Australia will need around 116,700 additional construction workers to meet the government’s target of building 1.2 million new homes over five years.

So how did we get here and what are the factors driving the tradie shortage?

1. Young Australians are not attracted to the building trades

For too long, apprenticeships – and vocational........

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