Building & Construction

Master Builders Tasmania has forecast an 8.7% increase in construction activity during 2021-2022.

building & construction

Industry Overview

The building and construction industry is Australia’s third largest industry after human services and retail.

The most common building and construction jobs in Australia are:

  1. Carpenters and Joiners
  2. Electricians
  3. Plumbers
  4. Construction Managers
  5. Building and Plumbing Labourers
  6. Architectural, Building and Surveying Technicians
  7. Painting Trades Workers
  8. Plasterers
  9. Concreters
  10. Structural Steel Construction Workers

Tasmania’s building and construction workforce action plan (2021) has a goal to widen the talent pool for the industry so it’s an excellent time to start or re-start your career in building and construction!

Master Builders Tasmania has forecast an 8.7% increase in construction activity during 2021-2022.

The Tasmanian building and construction industry employs 23 262 people.

The building and construction industry grew by 4290 jobs between 2013/14 and 2018/19 – more than any other industry in Tasmania.

The most common job roles in 2016 were construction, distribution, and production managers (1,595), bricklayers, carpenters and joiners (1,595), construction and mining labourers (1,066), plumbers (825), and glaziers, plasterer and tilers (598).

Click here for more Tasmanian information published in 2019.

Click here for find out more about the Building and Construction industry in Tasmania

building & construction

Qualifications

Industry Qualifications

Any job in the construction industry requires a White Card (construction safety induction) from a Registered Training Organisation that provides “Prepare to work safely in the construction industry CPCCWHS1001″

Work Safe Tasmania has information about how to apply for the White Card within 60 days of completing the training. 

Vocational Qualifications

TasTafe courses in building, construction and trades. For example:

  • Certificate II in Construction, Construction pathways, electrotechnology
  • Certificate III in Carpentry (apprenticeship), Construction Waterproofing, Carpentry and Joinery, Plumbing, Painting and Decorating, Civil Construction, Plant Operations, Wall and Ceiling Lining, Glass and Glazing,  Bricklaying, Civil Construction
  • Certificate IV in Building and Construction
  • Diploma in Building in Construction

Apprenticeships are common pathways to qualifications for younger people. You can express interest with Master Builders Tasmania.

Tertiary Qualifications

UTAS has Diploma of Construction Management

Pathways

The building and construction industry has both entry level jobs and jobs requiring tertiary qualifications. 

Building job types include:

  • Building houses (residential)
  • Building hotels, shops, offices, factories (non-residential)
  • Repair and management of existing buildings (renovations)

Construction job types include:

  • Carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing, electrical and more (trades).
  • Roads, railways, and bridges (civil engineering and construction)
  • Services such as architecture, engineering, and site preparation

Management job types include:

  • Quality assurance 
  • Construction / project managers
  • Production and distribution managers

My Future creates an account to explore industries in Australia.

Job Outlook is a website to help you explore different jobs descriptions.

The Jobs Guide also details different types of jobs within industries.

BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION

Career Development

This is a list of professional development providers in Tasmania for the building and construction industry.

Master Builders Tasmania have state-wide professional development events – follow them on Eventbrite.

Master Builders Tasmania have a 2 day Construction Ready course designed for new apprentices.   

You need to understand the technical regulations applicable to your position and industry. In Tasmania these regulations are administered by Consumer, Building and Occupational Services.

The the Consumer, Building and Occupational Services has advice about how to plan your continuing professional development whilst living outside of Tasmania

building & construction

Industry Advice

In-demand skills identified by Hays Recruiting company for 2021 include: 

Residential Estimators who can complete production or sales estimating for busy mid to high volume project home builders; 

Site Supervisors with experience working for insurance companies on remedial work, including completing a make safe, estimating a job then either completing or at the minimum supervising the project through to completion;

Commercial Site Managers with experience working on childcare, aged care, and education projects and a trade background.

Domestic HVAC Technicians for service and install work with a Certificate III in air conditioning and their electrical license;

Plasterers with experience in the whole range of plastering, from setting to sheeting, for commercial and residential new builds and refurbishments; 

Plumbers in the commercial and maintenance sectors who are trade qualified with a gas fitting dual trade and TMV and Backflow endorsements.

building & construction

Networking

Industry bodies

Workers Union

The workers union for construction workers is the CFMEU

LinkedIn pages

Master Builders Tasmania  is the State’s peak building and construction industry association. 

McConnell Dowell is rebuilding the bridge in Bridgewater and posts jobs to their LinkedIn page.

Hazell Bros Group – Hazell Bros is a privately-owned, family company operating throughout Tasmania, South East Queensland, Northern New South Wales, and Port Pirie in South Australia. Hazell Bros are an equal opportunity employer and are proud to have been an Employer of Choice since 2008.

Degree C – Degree C is Tasmania’s leading multi-trade contracting company. With offices located in Ulverstone, Launceston, and Hobart they can deliver and support heating and cooling, solar, HVAC, refrigeration, electrical services, metal fabrication and processing technologies.

Davies Design & Construction – Davies Construction is a family-run company owned and operated by Luke Davies, and is Tasmania’s premier custom home builder.

Fairbrother – An Employer of Choice, Fairbrother directly employs 350 people in our core business and more than 500 people across all business units, including a subsidiary company. Capability includes commercial construction, architectural joinery, facility management, and building developments.

building & construction

Finding Jobs in Tasmania

Search alerts

Set up an account and search alert on Seek, Jora, and Indeed that use key words from position descriptions you are seeking.

LinkedIn
Visit company LinkedIn pages and search their jobs by location. 

Recruitment agencies

  • CoreStaff has jobs such as labour and truck driving around Tasmania.  Click here to search for job vacancies.
  • Programmed is a labour hire company that recruits and manages a mobile workforce of more than 15,000 people, including building and construction positions. Click here to search for vacancies and apprenticeships.
  • Searson Buck Group is a Tasmanian-based employment agency that works with local employers to secure the right people for their jobs. Click here to check out current job vacancies which can include project managers as well as entry level positions. Register here to increase your chance of securing a job by hearing about it first.
  • Hays Recruiting Experts Worldwide Tasmania are recruiting experts in qualified, professional, and skilled work in residential, commercial, industrial, and civil disciplines. Hays Construction offers a range of exciting construction jobs available. Click here to search for job vacancies in construction. Hays also offers opportunities in Trades and Labour work. Hays have more than three decades of experience in recruiting tradespeople and operatives into labourer jobs and trades jobs for a variety of leading sites. Click here to search for job vacancies in trades and labour work.
  • Randstad operates in 39 countries recruiting and matching the best people with the best companies that will develop potential. Randstad is dedicated to playing a pivotal role in the world of work. Click here for the current vacancies in trades and services.
  • In2Work is a professional ‘search and select’ Human Resources Consultancy specialising in executive roles within the oil and gas, mining, infrastructure, engineering, and construction industries. In2Work has 20 years of experience providing quality candidates within these industries. Click here to search for the current vacancies in construction.

building & construction

Job Seeker Tips

Important websites

  • Keystone – career-building resources including pathways to your dream job. Keystone provides additional forms of training and can provide subsidies.
  • Tasmanian Building Group Apprenticeship Scheme (TasBGAS) – TasBGAS is a 100% Tasmanian owned and operated Group Training Organisation and RTO. We have provided career opportunities for job seekers and serviced businesses within the building and construction industry for more than 36 years.
  • Master Plumbers Association – The Master Plumbers’ Association of Tasmania is the State’s peak plumbing contractor organisation representing some 150 small to large businesses.
  • Housing Industry Association – The HIA provides a range of information on safety, legal, and insurance services, in addition to providing connections to apprenticeships.

Industry Initiatives

To build Tasmania’s workforce the State Government, the Civil Contractors Federation (CCF), the Housing Industry Association (HIA), the Master Builders Tasmania (MBT), and Keystone Tasmania are working on initiatives that widen the talent pool build a more diverse workforce. This High-Vis Army project is supported by Skills Tasmania.

Subscriptions

building & construction

Acknowledgements

The Migrant Network acknowledges the invaluable input from the industry.

“I started building networks now. . .thanks again for all the hard work, looking forward to seeing the opportunities coming through” Skilled migrant, 04 May 2021.

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