The Morrison-Joyce Government’s nearly decade-long neglect of the skills sector has been revealed today as one of the biggest risks to our future infrastructure development.
Infrastructure Australia’s Infrastructure Market Capacity report has highlighted the labour shortages in critical skills required for infrastructure projects are expected to have severe impacts.
The report outlined that in order to meet demand for these projects, it “would require annual growth of 25% over the next two years, which is more than eight times higher than the projected annual growth rate of 3.3%.”
The Morrison-Joyce Government’s track record on this inspires zero hope, given there are 115,000 fewer trainees and apprentices now than since September 2013.
After ignoring the construction sectors concerns, neglecting the skills sector for nearly a decade and ripping out $3 billion from the TAFE sector, it is no wonder we don’t have the pipeline of workers required to build a future Australia.
You can’t have a pipeline of infrastructure projects if you don’t have a pipeline of skilled workers capable of building them.
As reported, at it’s peak, ‘between now and 2025, Infrastructure Australia predicts a shortfall of 70,000 scientists and engineers, 19,000 project management professionals and 28,000 trades and labour workers.’
The Morrison-Joyce Government already breaks their infrastructure promises by over a billion dollars each and every year.
These workforce shortages will lead to more delays and less investment in the communities that need it.
That’s why an Albanese Labor Government would create Jobs and Skills Australia, an independent body bringing together the business community, states and territories, unions, education providers and regional organisations to match skills training with the evolving demands of industry.
WEDNESDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2021