2026 Occupation Shortage List: Which Construction Trades Are Still Short?

Every year Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), the federal government's workforce agency, rates hundreds of occupations as either in shortage or not. The 2026 list is out, and the headline is that shortages are easing across the economy. For builders, the detail matters more than the headline: most of the core building trades are still on the list, a few site roles have come off it, and for the first time the data says why each trade is short. Here is what the list shows and how to use it when planning crews in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

What did the 2026 Occupation Shortage List find?

JSA assessed occupations across the whole labour market and found 279 in national shortage, or 27% of those assessed. That is down from 29% in 2025 and a peak of 36% in 2023.

The easing is not even. JSA says shortages remain concentrated among Professionals and Technicians and Trades Workers, with almost half of Technicians and Trades Workers occupations assessed as in shortage. It also found 127 occupations have been in shortage continuously from 2021 to 2026. Trades and professional roles make up 90% of those, and JSA names construction as one of the areas where long-running shortages are concentrated.

Ratings are for the individual occupations on JSA's interactive list (OSCA classification), checked on 5 November 2026.

Why are these trades still short?

This year JSA also published Occupation Shortage Drivers analysis, which identifies three main causes: supply pipeline constraints (not enough people being trained), a lack of suitable applicants, and retention challenges. A shortage can have one dominant driver or a mix. For the building trades, the 2026 data shows:

• Carpenters and joiners, plumbers, structural steel construction workers: the main driver is an education and training gap. Not enough people are coming through apprenticeships to meet demand.
• Electricians: the main driver is a suitability gap. People apply, but too few have the right licence, experience or skills for the job.
• Bricklayers and stonemasons, roof tilers, wall and floor tilers: the main driver is a retention gap. People are trained but leave the trade.

JSA notes it updated the drivers methodology in 2026, so differences from earlier years may partly reflect the new method. Even so, it is a useful guide to where hiring will be hardest. Training gaps take years to close, so carpenters and plumbers are unlikely to get easier to find in the next few months.

Does this mean any construction roles are easier to fill?

Somewhat. Structural steel erectors and crane, hoist or lift operators were rated in shortage in 2025 but not in 2026. Concreters, construction riggers and demolition labourers were also rated as not in shortage this year.

Be careful with that. "Not in shortage" is a national rating. It doesn't guarantee you'll find someone with the right tickets, near your site, on the day you need them. A good crane operator or rigger is still worth booking ahead, especially for a planned lift or a pour that can't move.

What does this mean for builders in Victoria, Queensland and NSW?

The Occupation Shortage List is a national assessment, so it doesn't break the ratings down by state. It does line up with what we already know about local pipelines:

• Queensland. Home starts and the Brisbane 2032 venue program are adding to demand for the same trades the list says are short. We covered the state numbers in Queensland's building boom meets a labour squeeze.
• Victoria and NSW. House approvals have been rising in both states, which means more framing, plastering, tiling and painting work coming through over the next year. See House approvals hit a five-year high.
• Finishing trades. Tilers, plasterers, painters and glaziers have all been on the list every year since 2021. On a residential job these trades often decide your handover date, so they deserve as much planning as your frame.

What should builders do now?

• Book scarce trades first. Use the list as a checklist. If a stage needs carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tilers or plasterers, start lining them up weeks ahead, not days.
• Plan around the Christmas shutdown. Many trades take a break over the holidays. If you need crews in the first weeks of January, confirm them before the end of November.
• Brief for suitability. Electricians are short mostly because applicants don't match the job. Spell out the licence class, site type and experience you need, so you aren't interviewing the wrong people.
• Keep the good ones. Retention is the main driver for bricklayers and tilers. Steady work, on-time pay and a well-run site matter when a good tradie has other options.
• Budget for skilled rates. Trades in shortage cost more than general labour. Our 2026 labour hire rates guide sets out indicative rates by trade.
• Check your provider's licence. Victoria and Queensland both run labour hire licensing schemes. Dash Group is licensed under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018 (Vic) and the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2017 (Qld).

How can labour hire help when trades are on the shortage list?

Labour hire won't create tradespeople the industry doesn't have. What it can do is give you access to a wider pool of checked workers and save your site team time. Dash Group has made more than 23,400 temporary placements for more than 400 businesses, and only about 3 in 10 applicants pass our screening, so the people we put forward have already been checked against the role.

Each client has one dedicated consultant, and our in-house payroll team handles wages, super and award compliance. When one of your own workers calls in sick, we can often have a replacement on site within 2–4 hours. For skilled trades, more notice gives you the widest choice.

We supply general labourers, skilled and ticketed workers, carpenters, formwork, steel and concrete crews, electricians, shopfitters and civil crews from offices in Melbourne (also covering Sydney and NSW), Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia, “Occupation shortages continue to ease, while new analysis reveals what’s driving persistent gaps” (20 October 2026); Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List 2026, occupation ratings and shortage drivers (accessed 5 November 2026); Dash Group company information (November 2026). Dash Group is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the organisations cited.