By Lara Pacillo
As Australia’s construction industry faces a critical skills shortage, new research from Adelaide University shows how the industry can better support women and therefore strengthen the future workforce.
In Australia, labour shortages are exacerbated by the underrepresentation of young women across various roles, particularly in blue-collar and trade sectors.
Women currently make up just 13 per cent of the construction workforce in Australia, with only around 3 per cent working in trades. At the same time, demand for infrastructure and housing continues to surge, with recent estimates pointing to a 61 per cent skills shortage across the sector.
An Australia-wide study, published in Construction Management and Economics, found that many young women are interested in careers in construction but feel the industry must adapt to better meet their needs.
Current support programs often address women as a single group, despite significant differences in motivations, priorities, and career goals.
“Our research suggests that young women would be willing to enter construction if workplace conditions improved,” explained Professor Nancy Arthur, Dean of Research at Adelaide University’s College of Business & Law, who was joined on the research team by Adelaide University’s Dr Lynette Washington, Dr Ali Ardeshiri and Professor Akshay Vij.
“We also found that salary alone is not enough. Workplace culture, flexibility, and career pathways often matter more.”
Many participants expressed interest in roles that emphasise collaboration, problem-solving, and career progression, challenging how construction jobs are traditionally designed and communicated.
Professor Arthur says the research points to several clear priorities for industry reform:
- Make workplaces safer and more inclusive
- Offer flexible work arrangements
- Create clear and visible career pathways
- Increase the visibility of female role models
- Tailor strategies to different groups, not a one-size-fits-all approach
“The issue is not motivation. It is mismatch,” said Dr Washington.
“Across all groups, there was a clear pattern in what women are after. More than a gender issue, it is a workforce, productivity, and economic sustainability issue.
“If the industry cannot attract and retain more women, it simply will not have the workforce needed to meet future demand.”
While the research supports prior studies identifying safety concerns, workplace culture, and gender bias as major barriers, the new study shows how much these factors matter and how they influence women’s career choices.
“We show that young women are not all the same. Some prioritise flexibility, others value career progression, others respond to financial incentives,” said Dr Ardeshiri.
“This helps explain why many past initiatives have struggled. They treated women as a single group.”
“Fixing construction industry barriers for women will fix construction for everyone,” Professor Arthur says.
“This is about equity, but also about unlocking a workforce the industry cannot afford to ignore.”