Trade Services Labour Demand | June 2024
About the Author: Ashley Thomson
In this briefing:
Update on labour demand for the quarter April – June 2024
The Tenfold Construction Job Index tracks levels of demand for roles in key trades. By tracking the number of jobs ads for tradie roles of plumbers , electricians, landscapers, and carpenters, we can keep our clients informed and provide advice on recruitment strategies.
Here’s what tradies need to know about the labour trends of the quarter for April – June 2024.
Labour Demand for Electricians
Demand for electricians continues to remain high:
What the data tells us: Electricians are the most in demand of all the trades. There were some pretty extreme fluctuations in the number of roles being advertised and recruited for across the April – June period, with a low of 53 at the beginning of the quarter to a high of 109 ads posted at the end of May.
Our coaching advice to electrical contractor businesses: expect competition for good electricians to remain strong so plan your workforce carefully and invest in retention activities to keep your top performers.
Labour Demand for Plumbers
What the data tells us: Despite a couple of peaks in jobs ads posted in early May and June, jobs ads for plumbers are trending downwards. In previous years the April-June quarter has tended to see reduced demand for plumbers so the trend in the 2024 quarter is in line with seasonality.
Our coaching advice to plumbing contractor businesses: keep a watching eye on the trend for demand for plumbers. If your pipeline of work is likely to increase in the winter and spring quarters, start planning your recruitment needs now.
Labour Demand for Landscapers
What the data tells us: The public holiday weekends in April (ANZAC Day) and early June (Monarch’s bday) saw a dip in jobs ads posted for landscape and garden workers. Adjusting for those dips and one month of winter (a seasonally low period for this industry), demand for resources in this sector remained steady.
Our coaching advice to landscape construction businesses: Every landscaper and gardener worth their salt will be planning for the uplift in demand that spring brings. Now’s the time to start thinking about what you need to do to get ahead of the pack for recruiting. Landscaping is notorious for false starts of new hires so factor that into your timing.
Labour Demand for Carpenters
What the data tells us: The number of jobs for carpenters was variable over the April-June reporting period with a noticeable dip in job ads posted around the June public holiday (Monarch birthday). However the overall labour demand for carpenters and cabinet makers in Melbourne is trending upward.
Our coaching advice to carpentry businesses: This industry sector is highly affected new build starts so our advice is to watch the building approvals and factor those into your workforce plans.
To access the data for this lead indicator we recommend bookmarking the HIA Newsroom page: https://hia.com.au/our-industry/newsroom
Bringing it all together
Strong resource management is essential for service-based businesses in the construction trades. Ensure your tradie business is looking ahead and adjusting your plans accordingly. If you want to explore how business coaching can help you read the play and make informed decisions, contact Tenfold.
