Meeting the National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million new homes by mid-2029 will require one of the largest mobilisations of Australia’s construction workforce in decades.
Our new Housing Workforce Capacity Study projects that an additional 116,700 workers will be needed – about one-quarter more than under a business-as-usual scenario. The Study explores how this can be achieved through five critical channels:
🛠️ Apprenticeships – boosting completions could secure 23,000 additional skilled workers.
👩🔧 Female participation – more women in construction could add 51,000 to the workforce.
🌏 Immigration – securing a larger share of skilled migrants could bring in 32,000 workers.
📈 Productivity gains – a 5% improvement would be equivalent to adding 30,000 workers.
🎓 Training system capacity – none of this can be achieved without a scaled-up VET sector.
Alongside the report, we’ve released an interactive data dashboard where you can explore our modelling in granular detail – from state and regional workforce requirements to labour flows and supply gap projections.
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