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Industry Insights

Construction Labour Market Outlook: Skills Most In Demand This Year

15 May 20264 min readBy Illoura Team

Australia's $120B+ infrastructure pipeline — spanning road, rail, defence facilities, and social housing — is creating sustained pressure on the construction labour market that won't ease before 2028.

The roles most in demand right now: Site Managers with commercial and civil crossover experience, Estimators who can price complex packages, and Schedulers experienced with Primavera P6.

There's also growing demand for WHS advisors with major project exposure as clients increasingly require dedicated safety resources on projects over $20M.

Salary growth in the sector has run at 8–12% year-on-year since 2024. Candidates with a track record on Tier 1 or Tier 2 projects and interstate mobility are in the strongest negotiating position.

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