Shaping the future of the built environment

Global decarbonisation requires significant new capital investments and industry restructurings. This will directly impact the demand for construction services, but also trigger a range of second-order impacts across the built environment sector.

A shifting geopolitical environment is driving a renewed focus on developing the nation’s manufacturing and defence capabilities. This trend has implications for the scale, mix and distribution of Australia's built environment assets.

The ever-increasing layers of regulation to support Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives are driving an increase in the labour intensity of many built environment services. This trend is also reshaping and creating a range of new jobs and skills.

Persistent housing shortages have led Australian governments to commit to delivering 1.2 million new homes over five years from mid-2024. This objective implies a step-change in demand for those involved in building and operating residential dwellings.

Australia's ageing population is shrinking the pool of labour available to support the broader population. This trend will make it increasingly difficult to meet the community's increasing demands for the built environment within our current labour paradigm.

The productivity gains associated with emerging technologies promise to offset some of the supply constraints of an ageing population. Yet these changes bring a range of challenges for the skilling of the future workforce.