Australia’s housing crisis isn’t just about land supply, material costs, or red tape. It’s also about people and right now, the industry doesn’t have enough of them.

Under the federal government’s Housing Accord, states and territories are expected to deliver 1.2 million new homes by 2029. To meet those targets, industry leaders estimate an additional 300,000 workers are needed across the country in the next decade. Master Builders Australia has been blunt: without more boots on the ground, the Accord is simply unachievable.

But as any builder will tell you, this isn’t just a numbers game. Recruitment in construction has long been a headache, and it’s not only about finding warm bodies to put on site. It’s about trust, cultural fit, and retention areas where too many builders are still falling short.

A Shortage That’s Not Going Away

We recently spoke to Jack Creith, Founder and Managing Director of recruitment firm Yaka Solutions, he has seen the problem play out first-hand. From his base in regional New South Wales, he works with builders across both commercial and residential sectors, helping them staff projects in Brisbane, Sydney and beyond.

“The challenges are the same everywhere,” he says. “Nobody is looking around thinking we’ve got too many people. Everyone needs more houses, more projects, and more trades, whether it’s in Brisbane ahead of the Olympics or in regional hubs like Parkes.”

The scale of demand is immense. According to Master Builders, the industry requires 9,000 extra workers immediately, and hundreds of thousands more over the next 5 – 10 years. Apprenticeships take three to four years to complete, which means even if intake surges tomorrow, the benefits won’t be felt until the end of the decade.

The Missed Opportunity with Migrant Trades

There’s also the issue of migrant tradespeople, thousands of whom are already living in Australia but locked out of the system.

“We’ve got 9,000 immigrants already here with a trade background,” says Jack. “They could be qualified within 12 to 18 months, but the cost to re-enter their trade is around $9,000. For most, that’s prohibitive. Halve that cost, make it more accessible, and you’re solving a big part of the problem.”

Yaka Solutions also fields frequent calls from New Zealand trades moving to Australia in search of opportunity and lifestyle. While their workmanship is often praised, Jack says there are always adjustments. “The feedback I get is they’re very detail-oriented, sometimes a little slower than what we’re used to here, but that trade-off can mean better quality.”

For builders, the lesson is clear: there are solutions available, but they require flexibility and a willingness to think beyond traditional recruitment pathways.

Recruitment Is Broken and Builders Know It

Ask most builders about recruitment and you’ll get the same weary look. Too many have been burned by agencies that overpromise and underdeliver, sending candidates who don’t stick or charging fees for placements that unravel within probation.

“The level of trust is low,” Jack admits. “A lot of directors, especially those who’ve been around 20 or 30 years, have seen cycles of bad recruitment. They’re wary of outsiders who don’t really understand their business.”

That mistrust leaves many builders reluctant to engage recruiters, defaulting to word-of-mouth, family networks, or last-minute hires to plug holes. The result? High turnover, wasted training investment, and projects that fall behind schedule.

It’s Not About Filling Seats, It’s About Fit

What makes recruitment work, says Jack, isn’t speed but alignment.

“The builders we see having the most success aren’t the ones overselling themselves in interviews. They’ll sit down with a candidate and say, ‘Here’s where we’re strong, here’s where we fall short, here are the pitfalls of working here.’ That honesty creates buy-in. Then, when the builder overdelivers on the job, retention is much stronger.”

This approach undersell, overdeliver contrasts sharply with the old model of recruitment where candidates were sold glossy promises of career progression, only to discover a business stretched thin, underpaying, or running on fumes.

Today’s workforce is also looking for different things. Flexibility matters. Culture matters. Builders who used to lean on Friday knock-off beers as a retention tool are finding younger staff value something else entirely.

“It’s not about Friday beers anymore,” says Jack. “It might be Thursday, knock off at 11 o’clock to go and watch your kid’s athletics carnival. That’s becoming the new normal.”

Why Recruitment Still Trips Up Many

Even with the best intentions, recruitment is often treated as a box-ticking exercise. The focus can fall too heavily on filling roles quickly, rather than considering long-term fit and culture. It’s understandable in a busy industry where projects move fast, but it can create challenges down the track.

• Project delays: High turnover means more time spent retraining, onboarding, and covering gaps.
• Defects and rework: When people aren’t the right fit, quality can slip and issues multiply.
• Team strain: Constant change affects culture and puts pressure on existing staff.

“People are everything in a business,” says Jack. “If you get the wrong fit, the ripple effects hit the whole team.”

Lessons from Sport

For Jack, who grew up playing rugby league at a high level, the parallels between sport and construction are obvious.

“In sport, you train every day for 80 minutes on the field. But in business, we rarely train at that same level. That’s a mistake,” he says.

He recalls a rugby league analogy he uses privately when assessing candidates: “If someone doesn’t chase hard from second marker after a tackle, you probably don’t want them in your team. In business, it’s the same, you want people willing to go that extra step.”

The point isn’t lost on builders. Recruitment isn’t about filling a role; it’s about building a team that can deliver under pressure, week after week, project after project.

Towards a Better Recruitment Model

The recruitment gap is real, and if Australia is serious about hitting its housing targets, the industry can’t afford to ignore it. But the solutions won’t come solely from government. Builders themselves need to rethink how they approach hiring.

• Be honest in interviews. Don’t oversell. Undersell and then overdeliver.
• Invest in culture. Flexibility and family time trump token perks.
• Work with recruiters who get construction. As Jack puts it: “I’ve swept floors, I’ve laboured on sites. I know what it’s like out there. That helps me place people who fit.”
• Treat recruitment as long-term. It’s about building trust, not just filling gaps.

For builders, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Meeting the Housing Accord’s targets isn’t just about projects it’s about people. And right now, too many good people are slipping through the cracks.

Author: TGB Editorial