Quote:
Originally Posted by Rock
There is a severe shortage of Tradespeople in Australia due to several decades of neglect and bad decisions by governments regarding Trade wage rates and training.
In their 'Apprenticeship' phase, tradespeople earn very small wages - which do not compare favourably with what many of their peers are earning in other fields. Consequently there is a high rate of 'bail-out' from trades in the apprenticeship period or immediately upon graduation. This of course results in the shortage of qualified and experienced tradespeople down the line, and those that stay the course and set up in their own business can ask what they want for their labour. Rates vary wildly and anyone who doesn't 'shop-around' is probably going to pay way too much. So severe iss the shortage that some Tradespeople won't even bother to provide quotes - you just never hear from them again. I have just waited 9 months to get a major landscaping/wall building job done. The Contractor was just flat-out. Others said up front that they had too much work to even quote. If I had a smart, outdoors-oriented Son, I would steer him into a Trade, not a profession. All the Tradies do work for each other on a 'Barter' basis and so pay no tax on that work.
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Fairly accurate description of the world of tradespeople these days , I’m in the UK & have spent 41 years in my trade , Heating , plumbing , bathroom kitchen refits ,renewables etc & can say that there is a serious lack of new tradespeople coming through today . Whether that’s a lack of opportunities by businesses ( which see apprenticeships as a too long term investment )or lack of government incentives I’m not sure but the earning potential is definitely there & if you have a skilled trade it’s one of the last jobs for life if you choose to stay in your chosen field of skill . The earning potential might not be instant enough to start with but you can certainly make up for it once you have the expertise. Even through economic downturns ( which are cyclical) I’ve never been unemployed . And I agree 100% that trades trade their skills with each other .