Can’t Find Good Tradespeople in Australia? Here’s What to Do in 2025

Can’t Find Good Tradespeople in Australia? Here’s What to Do (2025 Update)

If you're frustrated because you can't find good tradespeople, you're not alone. In 2025, this is the number one complaint we hear from builders, contractors, and business owners across Australia.

The ads are out.
You’ve spoken to ten people.
No one turns up, or they flake after a week.

So what’s going on?

This article explains why it’s so hard to hire tradespeople right now, what most companies are doing wrong, and how to fix it before your project blows out.

Why You Can’t Find Good Tradespeople in 2025

There’s a nationwide trade shortage, and it’s only getting worse.

Here’s what’s driving it:

Too much project demand (infrastructure, housing, mining)
Not enough qualified trades entering the market
Massive competition from bigger contractors offering higher pay
Labour hire churn burning out workers
Skilled trades leaving for FIFO or self-employment

The result?
Even when you do get applicants, most aren’t qualified, committed or capable.

The Real Cost of Bad Tradespeople

Hiring the wrong person doesn’t just waste time it costs you real money:

Delays in project delivery
Rework and poor quality control
Team morale issues when new hires underperform
Reputation damage with clients and partners
Hours lost managing no-shows or fixing bad hires

If you’ve been advertising roles for weeks and still can’t find anyone good, it’s time to shift your strategy.

Why Job Boards Aren’t Delivering Results

Here’s the truth: Seek, Indeed and Gumtree are flooded with unlicensed, unreliable or not-actually-looking applicants.

And when good tradespeople are working full-time, they’re not scrolling job boards they’re being poached directly, or moving through private networks.

What You Actually Need to Hire Great Tradespeople

To hire trades that stay and perform, you need:

A pre-qualified pool of skilled trades (not cold leads from a job ad)
Candidates with verified licences, references, and real site experience
Fast turnaround so you don’t lose them to another offer
A recruiter who speaks your language and understands site culture

That’s where HJ Recruitment comes in.

How HJ Recruitment Solves the Trades Shortage

We specialise in permanent recruitment for trades and blue collar workers across construction, civil, and industrial sectors.

Here’s how we’re different:

1. Construction-Only Focus

We recruit exclusively for trades, labourers, and site staff—no hospitality, no white-collar generalism.

2. Pre-Vetted Tradespeople

We don’t send anyone who isn’t:

Qualified and ticketed
Site-ready with tools and PPE
Reference-checked and reliable
Matched to your project conditions

3. Fast, Targeted Shortlisting

We use AI-matching, private talent pools, and direct outreach to deliver shortlists within 48–72 hours.

Who We Work With

HJ Recruitment partners with:

Residential and commercial builders
Civil contractors
Trades-based subcontractors
Manufacturing and maintenance teams
Regional and remote project managers

We recruit across:

Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth
Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast
Regional QLD, WA, NT and FIFO hubs

Roles We Hire That Are Hard to Fill

We consistently deliver for roles most agencies struggle with:

Carpenters (frame, fix, formwork)
Concreters and steel fixers
Civil and commercial labourers
Electricians (construction & industrial)
Mechanical fitters, boilermakers, and TAs
Site supervisors and leading hands

Still Can’t Find Good Tradespeople? Let’s Fix It.

If you’ve had enough of flaky hires, ad spam, or unreliable labour hire, now’s the time to upgrade your recruitment strategy.

HJ Recruitment helps you hire long-term, high-performing tradespeople without wasting time, money or energy.

We don’t just send resumes.
We build your workforce.

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