Plumber shortage: Not enough people in the pipeline to fill the gaps
New Zealand's plumbing industry is facing a critical labor shortage due to an aging workforce, a lack of apprenticeship opportunities, and skilled workers moving to Australia. Industry leaders warn that the current pipeline is insufficient to meet future demand.
Why it matters
Labor shortages in essential trades can lead to increased costs and delays in construction and infrastructure maintenance.
New Zealand is heading for a critical shortage of plumbers, with fewer than 20 percent of businesses taking on new apprentices, while experienced tradespeople head to Australia.
Infometrics forecasts about 1450 plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying jobs will need to be filled in the next year as the workforce ages out or moves overseas and work picks up.
But the industry knows there are not enough people in the pipeline to fill those gaps, especially after a long recession.
According to Master Plumbers, one of the causes was a lack of apprenticeship options.
Chief executive Greg Wallace said only 17 percent of the industry took on apprentices.
He said across the whole construction industry, that number was lower, at 10-15 percent.
He said those few opportunities dried up when the economy was tougher, and belts tightened.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in