Increase in ABS construction employment figure a 'welcome respite' for the industry

The total number of people employed in the building and construction sector in February 2013 has risen up 1.4 per cent (to 1,035,300) from the corresponding figure in 2012.

This increase in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) construction employment figure is one that Master Builders Australia says is a 'welcome respite' for the industry.

Master Builders Australia chief economist Peter Jones said there is 'cautious optimism' surrounding the figure.

"The rise in employment is likely to be closely linked to the mining sector as anecdotal evidence from builders is that industry activity remains quite soft," Mr Jones said.

"The question remains whether this recovery can be sustained given the mining sector is set to peak and the building sector remains weak, despite early signs of a muted recovery in housing."

This comes with news of a new scheme to address the building and construction sector's "future skills need".

The Master Builders' Construction Apprenticeship Mentoring Scheme (CAMS) will see construction apprentices matched with experienced industry mentors to help guide them through major challenges they face during training.

"The value of work to be completed by the building and construction industry in the next ten years
is estimated to exceed $2.4 trillion," said Master Builders Australia chief executive officer Wilhelm Harnisch.

"In order to meet this demand, the industry will need 35,000 new skilled entrants each year, but the current apprentice completion rate stands at only 58 per cent."

Mr Harnisch said that CAMS aims to "lift the apprentice completion rate" to help avoid skills shortages in the industry and meet demand.