'Young Australians don't want to get their hands dirty': The $80k-a-year tradie jobs that NO ONE will apply for - forcing employers to bring workers in from overseas

  • A skills shortage has seen employers looking overseas to fill crucial positions
  • Young Australians are snubbing tradie jobs in favour of high tech careers 
  • Employers claims Aussies have now become too afraid to get their hands dirty

By Kelsey Wilkie For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Employers claim they have been forced to look overseas for workers to fill tradesman positions as young Australians are 'too scared to get their hands dirty'. 

Australia has been swamped with job opportunities for tradies - but many of the positions have gone for months without any applicants. 

Rod McInnes, who is a consultant for Maxima business development in Adelaide, said the manufacturing industry had been struggling because young people were more interested in sitting at a desk than doing 'dirty work'.  

Adelaide has been swarmed with job opportunities for tradies - but many been advertised for months without any applicants (stock image)

Adelaide has been swarmed with job opportunities for tradies - but many been advertised for months without any applicants (stock image)

Rod McInnes, who is a consultant for Maxima business development, said the manufacturing-heavy region had been struggling because young people were more interested in sitting at a desk (stock image)

Rod McInnes, who is a consultant for Maxima business development, said the manufacturing-heavy region had been struggling because young people were more interested in sitting at a desk (stock image)

THE JOBS AUSSIES WON'T DO:  

FARM WORK

Dairy Farmer Brian Dickson told the ABC he fears the worker shortage would lead to the end of the dairy farming industry in Australia.

Turnover is high at farms in Western Victoria despite the $24/h wage because employees aren't willing to work long hours.  

In 2018, it was reported a Queensland dairy farm was struggling to attract local interest in a job that paid $50,000 and came with free accommodation. 

Jobs in fruit and vegetable picking were also are unpopular among Australian workers, as well as roles in meat processing.

FOOD SERVICE

Restaurants have also had to rely on foreign workers, who are said to be more stable.

Research showed chef positions and restaurant managers were 'very difficult' to recruit.

Bakeries also reported difficulty hiring because workers are not keen on bakers' hours, which often means starting at 1am.

TRAFFIC CONTROL

In 2013, Traffic management firm Australian Retro revealed 85 per cent of traffic controllers were Irish women. 

AUTOMOTIVE

Far North Queensland currently has more than 3,700 vacancies, including 800 automotive trade jobs, according to the ABC.

Larry Napoli, who runs a collision repair centre in South Australia, says most workers don't 'stick it out' because it's hard work.  

MEDICAL

In the Riverina region in New South Wales, most of the 1,000 job vacancies are in the medical field.  

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He told Adelaide Now one local business had been trying to find a panel beater to fill a vacant position but even though the job can fetch an average $65,258 a year, no one wanted it.

Other positions that had failed to be filled were welders, carpenters and electricians - who earn about $80,000 a year on average.  

'A lot of the younger guys and girls aren't wanting to get their hands dirty because they're going into high tech careers or sitting at a desk,' he said.

The region has seen demand for boilermakers and welders increase due to a recent bump in structural steel work, however, the skills shortage has seen multiple companies go searching overseas to fill the positions.

Southern Cross Workforce director Mike Racher feared the problem would become worse as more young people looked to mining and defence in search of bigger pay packets. 

'These days the youngsters are more interested in getting a job in the computer age. They don't want sparks going on around them or ducking their head in the bonnet of an engine,' he said.

The shortage has sparked calls for the state government to put a greater emphasis on getting young people onto the trades pathway. 

Industry and Skills Minister David Pisoni said the government had been pushing to get more young people into  those roles. 

'With recent reports of South Australian businesses struggling to fill jobs, we're very keen to promote the opportunities for young South Australians that an apprenticeship or traineeship can deliver.' 

Last month, an ABC report revealed business owners and farmers have been left to rely on migrants to do unwanted jobs, as the number of job vacancies across regional Australia reaches 46,000.

West Victorian dairy farmer Brian Dickson said he feared the worker shortage would lead to the end of the dairy farming industry in Australia. 

Although the job pays $24 an hour, turnover is high because workers aren't willing to work the long hours. 

Larry Napoli, who runs Carisbrook Collision Repair Centre in north of Adelaide, told the ABC he has struggled to find panel beaters for his business. 

'A lot of them don't really stick it out because it's hard work and it's very complex,' he said.  

Meanwhile in Far North Queensland, there were more than 3,700 open automotive trade positions, and 1,000 vacancies, mostly in the medical field, in the Riverina in NSW. 

The Federal government in turn has stepped into mitigate the issue by allowing farmers to seek out foreign workers.

Migrants are even offered permanent residency if they are willing to work in the region for three years. 

AUSTRALIA'S TOP 10 MOST LUCRATIVE TRADES
INDUSTRY HOURLY RATE 
1. PLUMBER $87.88
2. EARTHWORKS $87.48 
3. AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING $85.80 
4. ELECTRICIAN  $80.34 
5. CONCRETER $72.72
6. ARCHITECT  $70.43 
7. BATHROOM RENOVATION 
$69.41 
8. DRAFTSMAN  $67.99 
9. COMMERCIAL BUILDER $64.65 
10. TILERS $61.67 
Adelaide

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