Tradies hit jobs jackpot



By Hannah Silverman    

Carpenters, painters and bricklayers are among South Australia’s most cashed-up tradies.

Because of high demand and the complex skills involved, experts say it’s not unusual for these tradespeople to enjoy salaries that exceed $80,000.

Meanwhile, wet trades such as concreting and bricklaying can generate upwards of $55,000 for qualified workers.

Housing Industry Association SA executive director Robert Harding said carpenters were the biggest money earners.

“Across the general construction trades, it’s generally accepted that carpenters can earn the most money and they have the best opportunities for career advancement,” he says.

“Bricklayers have also earned extraordinarily good money because in times of high (building) activity, they are in demand and they can claim quite a significant amount of money per brick.”

Plumbers and electricians with strong skill sets that service the high end of the market are also able to command high pay.

Master Builders Association of South Australia chief executive Rob Stewart said construction trades often led to lucrative careers.

In fact, the industry had already witnessed success stories in Scott Salisbury Homes managing director Scott Salisbury, AV Jennings general manager John Howarth and Badge Constructions managing director Jim Whiting, who made their fortunes by establishing their own high-earning businesses.

“There are a few role models who started off as tradespeople and who have gone on to build quite substantial businesses,” Mr Stewart says.

“The opportunity is there for all tradespeople to build highly successful businesses in this industry.”

Mr Harding says another attractive feature to the industry is that the great pay divide between men and women is non-existent.

“Certainly there’s no differentiation between the pay structure because of your sex,” he says.

“It depends very much on what your abilities are and your speed at performing the task.”

But women in the construction workforce are still struggling to be equally recognised by their peers.

“We have a number of young female apprentices but we have a long way to go in promoting trades to females and convincing our own members that it’s worthwhile to employ females,” Mr Harding says.

“It has been, for many hundreds of years, a male-dominated profession and it takes time to change that perception.”

Mr Stewart says while females are not typically drawn to the building and construction industry, many are showing interest in such areas as project management, architecture and engineering.

Others were taking up positions in less labour-intensive roles such as painting, tiling and plumbing.

“Traditionally girls haven’t been attracted to the industry and, in some ways, the industry doesn’t project itself very well but the reality is that jobs such as painting, tiling and plumbing these days aren’t the back-breaking jobs they used to be,” Mr Stewart says.

Self-employed carpenter Rose Squire has been in her trade for 30 years. She says while not all carpenters are well paid, the potential for earning is unlimited.

“It depends on what career path someone might choose to take,” she says. “If they head towards working for a boss then they will only get award wages but if they start their own company the sky’s the limit.”

Mr Stewart says trades in construction and building have the added bonus of making the tradesperson easily employable across the country.

HIGHEST EARNING CONSTRUCTION TRADES

Experienced carpenter: $60,000 – $80,000+
Painter: $50,000+
Plumber: $50,000 – $80,000+
Concreter: $55,000 – $80,000+
Bricklayer: $55,000 – $70,000+
Roof plumber: $60,000 – $65,000+

Source: Master Builders Association of South Australia chief executive Rob Stewart and Housing Industry Association SA executive director Robert Harding

Article from The Advertiser, July, 2010.