A considerable challenge facing the industry in the short-term is that substantial growth in construction work will occur over the next five years, with growth building from 2013.
Rebuilding Canterbury is generating a significant upswing in building and construction activity. This, coupled with repairs needed to correct ‘leaky buildings’ and an upswing in work due to pent-up demand, is causing the building and construction workload to rise sharply. It will lead to a dramatic increase in demand for labour in the industry. This demand can be met by giving priority to training and developing new entrants and the existing workforce, balanced by appropriately skilled internal and external migration.
While there will be substantial pressure to increase the number of workers in the sector, this cannot be allowed to compromise quality standards. This means that the industry as a whole needs to ensure that workers have the appropriate skills, qualifications and experience to work effectively. The sector will need to work hard to make best use of available labour.
Ensuring a national solution
Some responses to the short-term skills challenge relate specifically to Canterbury as the damage caused by the earthquakes there has prompted a need and mandate for immediate action.
However, it is also important that responses are put in place in other parts of the country, particularly in Auckland, to address the skill needs relating to leaky buildings and pent-up demand.
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RESPONSES |
KEY GROUPS INVOLVED |
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Support the implementation of the Skills for Canterbury package which aims to increase the number of skilled workers available to meet increased demand following the Canterbury earthquakes |
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Encourage clients to employ professional procurement specialists in order to make contracting more effective, to embed the whole-of-life approach to capital investment and to stimulate training and skills investment through approaches such as pre-qualification requirements |
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Review employment approaches and practices across the sector with a view to improve attraction and retention of skills |
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Encourage firms to embed training in their business plans |
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Fast-track skilled migrants for the building and construction sector, through concerted industry input to the rolling reviews of the Essential Skills in Demand lists and the collation of evidence of skills shortages |
Industry Associations and Institutes, the Productivity Partnership, MBIE, CERA, principal contractors |
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Work together as a sector to build the evidence base to support the addition of particular occupations to the rolling reviews of the Essential Skills in Demand lists for immigration purposes |
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Encourage firms to get support for rapid growth including business mentoring and programmes run by CERA, MBIE and CDC |
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Raise awareness among firms about the government's inclusion of training as a consideration when awarding government contracts |
MBIE, industry associations and institutes, principal contractors, government agencies |