HIA Trades Report: Trade Prices Up 6.6% in a Year, the Fastest in Four Years, and Every Market Is Still Short. Re-Check Your Trade Rates and Book Bricklayers Early.
HIA's September quarter Trades Report shows skilled trade shortages persisting across every market and every trade, led by bricklaying, tiling, carpentry and roofing, with electrical shortages worsening fast. New home sales are falling, but HIA says the work already on the ground will keep trades in demand this year.
Trades are still hard to find, and they're costing more
The Housing Industry Association's latest Trades Report, released on 22 October 2026, shows skilled trade shortages remain widespread across Australia, even as the new home market cools.
HIA's Trades Availability Index improved only modestly, from -0.59 in the June quarter to -0.50 in the September quarter 2026. HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt said that is "broadly consistent with the shortage recorded a year earlier" and that skilled trades remain "considerably harder to secure than before the pandemic".
The price signal is sharper. Devitt said trades prices rose 6.6% in the year to September 2026, "the fastest rate in four years" and "more than double the rate of wage growth across Australian industries more broadly".
Every market and every trade is short
HIA says every market it tracks remains in shortage. A more negative reading means a deeper shortage.
| Market | September quarter 2026 index | | --- | --- | | Regional Queensland | -0.86 | | Regional South Australia | -0.83 | | Brisbane | -0.76 | | Perth | -0.76 | | Adelaide | -0.60 | | Regional Victoria | -0.54 | | Regional Western Australia | -0.50 | | Sydney | -0.47 | | Regional New South Wales | -0.43 | | Melbourne | -0.06 (near equilibrium) |
By trade, the deepest shortages are in bricklaying (-0.94), ceramic tiling (-0.77), and carpentry and roofing (both -0.71). The mildest are site preparation (-0.19) and electrical (-0.22). HIA warns, though, that electrical shortages have "worsened dramatically in the last six months".
Sales are falling, but the work on the ground isn't, yet
The squeeze on trades is happening while the front end of the pipeline weakens. HIA's New Home Sales report of 16 October found new home sales fell 17.5% in the September quarter 2026 and were 16.4% lower than a year earlier. Cancellations rose from below 10% early this year to 13.6% in September. HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon linked the fall to higher interest rates, increased taxes and broader economic uncertainty.
Devitt said those disruptions "will not impact the demand for skilled trades this year" because work already under way hasn't yet been hit by rising rates and taxes. He also said demand from renovations, public infrastructure and data centres will keep trades hard to find. He flagged rising labour, materials and land costs, while established home prices fall, as "a concerning potential headwind on new home building next year and beyond".
The bigger workforce gap
HIA estimates Australia needs an extra 83,000 skilled tradespeople to build the homes the country needs. It welcomed the Federal Government's decision, announced by the Minister for Home Affairs, to prioritise skilled construction workers alongside doctors and nurses for skilled migration, but said migration must complement continued investment in apprentices and training.
Master Builders Australia puts the gap wider, across all of construction. In its 15 October response to ABS labour force data, Acting CEO Melissa Byrne said modelling shows a current shortage of 141,000 skilled construction workers, which could reach 935,600 by 2035 without action, putting up to $242 billion of housing and infrastructure activity at risk. Master Builders noted construction employment fell 0.4% in September while unemployment rose to 4.7%.
What it means on the desk
- Re-check trade rates in open quotes. If your quote rates are more than a few months old, check them against current subcontractor pricing. HIA's 6.6% annual rise is the fastest in four years.
- Lock in your hardest trades early. If you're building in regional Queensland, regional SA, Brisbane or Perth, or need bricklayers, tilers, carpenters or roofers, book them as early as you can and confirm availability in writing before you commit to a start date.
- Don't assume sparkies are easy. HIA says electrical shortages have worsened sharply in six months. Allow for it in your programme.
- Build realistic time allowances. Factor trade availability into your construction timeframes and talk to clients about it at contract stage, not mid-build.
- Watch cancellations. With HIA reporting cancellations at 13.6%, check your contracts' finance conditions and keep in touch with buyers whose finance is not yet unconditional.
- Think about your own pipeline of workers. Both HIA and Master Builders point to apprentices and training as part of the fix. If you can take on an apprentice, ask your industry association what support is available.
This article reports on industry research. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources: HIA, Trades shortages persist as work on the ground remains solid (22 October 2026); HIA, New home sales slump (16 October 2026); Master Builders Australia, Unemployment up, but building workforce remains tight (15 October 2026).
