“The work is there for me, but I can’t get the number of hands that I need.” For Sunshine Coast bricklaying business owner Daniel Dole, that sentence sums up one of the biggest challenges facing the construction industry as the region prepares for a major wave of growth.
Daniel, from Dynamic Masonry, says demand for his business has never been higher, but finding skilled workers to complete the work has become increasingly difficult.
“We’ve found it very hard to find good tradesmen because bricklaying is an extremely in-demand trade,” he says.
“It’s not only tradies but the labouring jobs and apprentices.
“It’s hard to find young people willing to get their hands dirty and work hard and make good money.”
Daniel says the shortage means he is regularly forced to turn down opportunities, despite having a strong pipeline of work.
“I almost make a call every day to another bricklayer and say, ‘Can you please do this job?’ because I can’t fit it in,” he says.
“There’s been jobs where I’ve had to say, ‘I wish I could accept this, but I just don’t have the manpower to do it’.”
The challenge facing Daniel is expected to become more widespread as the Coast experiences rapid population growth and prepares for billions of dollars in new infrastructure ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Coast population reached an estimated 381,957 people in June 2025, increasing by 7659 people in one year.
The region’s annual growth rate of 2.05 per cent is above the national growth rate of 1.54 per cent.
The construction pipeline includes major projects such as The Wave public transport network, the Mooloolah River Interchange, the Sunshine Coast Stadium upgrade, the mountain bike centre, a proposed arena and athlete village, new housing infrastructure, health investment, schools and the construction-focused TAFE Centre of Excellence at Caloundra.
Construction Skills Queensland estimates that the Coast represents 14.7 per cent of the value of Queensland’s Games venue and village pipeline.
Games-related construction labour demand on the Coast is expected to increase from about 150 workers in 2026 to 1600 in 2030 and 2031. This figure covers Games venues and villages only – not the wider transport, health, housing and private development pipeline.
Master Builders regional manager Sunshine Coast Nicola Scott says the construction industry needs thousands more workers to meet demand.
“The workforce shortage is the biggest issue for our industry right now. We need around 19,000 additional workers entering the sector every year if we are going to deliver the $119billion pipeline of work ahead, plus the new homes our state needs,” Nicola says.
She says skilled migration is one part of the solution, alongside encouraging apprentices, mature-age workers, career changers and more women to join the industry.
“Skilled migrant workers are also part of the solution. They are already a valued part of our industry,” Nicola says.
“We can’t afford to put all our eggs in one basket.”
Daniel says his own workforce has previously relied heavily on overseas workers.
“If you asked me a couple of months ago, it would’ve been 100 per cent of my team that were from overseas other than myself. At one stage I had an American and three English guys,” he says.
“It does seem like it’s the migrants that are the ones that want to work.”
Housing Industry Association (HIA) executive director Queensland Mike Roberts says the shortage is being felt across the country.
“HIA estimates that we’ve got a shortage in the vicinity of 80,000 trades right now nationally,” Mike says.
“The short-term solution is to bring skilled labour in from overseas.
“Now, that’s the double-edged sword because we bring people in from overseas, they need somewhere to live.”
Mike says shortages are already affecting construction timelines, with projects delayed because businesses are competing for a limited workforce.
“The impact of that is it’s not to say that projects don’t go ahead: it’s just that they’re delayed and the progress is slow,” he says.
“The workforce is spread very thin.”
He says tradespeople are often managing multiple jobs at once, slowing progress across the industry.
“A lot of them are pretty good at juggling a couple of balls, but what it means is all the projects they’re involved with progress at a slower rate than is ideal,” he says.
The shortage is also contributing to rising construction costs, as demand for skilled workers increases competition.
“The shortage of trades gives the trades the upper hand, so to speak, in that they can pretty much name their price,” Mike says.
“And the builders are left with no other option but to pay it.
“That is contributing to increasing the cost of housing.”
Mike says attracting young people into construction remains a major challenge, with many choosing alternative career paths.
“It’s hard to attract young people into the industry when they can go and work in fields like the NDIS and get $65 an hour,” he says.
“Most parents want their kids to go to university.”
He says the industry needs to change perceptions around trade careers.
“We need the smart kids coming into the industry, too, because in this industry you need to be smart to run a successful business,” he says.
Caloundra Chamber of Commerce president Mike Shadforth says the region needs housing for the workers it intends to attract.
“We need training pathways for local young people,” he says.
“We need procurement packages that local businesses can realistically contest.
“We need infrastructure delivered in a sensible sequence.
“And we need to protect the character and natural assets that made people want to live and invest here in the first place.”
A TAFE Queensland spokesperson says training pathways are continuing to grow to meet industry demand.
As of April 30, 2026, TAFE Queensland has 14,672 apprentices in training across construction, plumbing and electrical trades, representing 57 per cent of all apprentices in training across the state.
TAFE Queensland has also seen an increase of more than 600 apprentices in training in these trades over the past five years.
The organisation says programs including free apprenticeships for under-25s, free construction apprenticeships for over-25s, TAFE at School and career-start programs are helping attract new workers.
However, with Queensland’s construction pipeline forecast to grow from about $60billion in 2025-26 to $75billion in 2027-28, demand for skilled workers is expected to continue rising.
For businesses like Dynamic Masonry, the challenge is not finding work.
It is finding enough workers to complete it.
By the numbers
381,957– the estimated Sunshine Coast population in June 2025: an increase of 7659 people in one year.
2.05 per cent – the Sunshine Coast’s annual population growth rate, compared with 1.54 per cent nationally.
$75 billion – the forecast value of Queensland’s construction pipeline by 2027-28, up from about $60 billion in 2025-26.
1600 workers – the expected Games-related construction labour demand on the Coast by 2030–31: up from about 150 workers in 2026-27.
80,000 tradespeople – the estimated national shortage of construction workers, as the Housing Industry Association reports.
14,672 apprentices – the number of construction, plumbing and electrical apprentices currently training with TAFE Queensland across the state.
