Why the ‘JobMaker’ scheme is welcomed for the trade industry, and Australia as a whole.

“In his speech today at the National Press Club, Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined the Government’s planned ‘JobMaker’ scheme, placing trade and industry at the heart of re-building the post-COVID 19 Australian economy, over the next three to five years. We are in full support of this announcement.

At hipages, our data has shown that Australian trades have remained an essential service for households around the country during the pandemic, with particular categories experiencing spikes in demand amid these uncertain times. 

While Australian households have been showing support for their local tradies, we currently have an imbalance of professional tradies versus property volume. Our research has shown that there are just 250,000 residential trade businesses servicing Australia’s nine million households. With the population rising and the commencement of tradie apprenticeships on the decrease, it is critical for the Government to provide incentives that appeal to the future generation of Australia’s tradies, as part of the JobMaker scheme. We need to bring the tradie-versus-homeowner ratio into better balance, to help drive greater economic success for the sector.

The residential trade sector is indeed an important economic contributor that is capable of supporting our local economy even further, should strategic investment occur. We know Australian households are spending over $73 billion each year on trades, and the Australian trade economy contributes 8.1 per cent to the nation’s GDP. The work of our tradies delivers considerable flow-on effects for the wider real estate sector, and so by building our tradie skills base, these numbers are only set to grow.

The hipages business has found success in leading the on-demand tradie economy, providing a digital platform that streamlines the booking, quoting, communication and payment process between Australian tradies and consumers. We are helping our tradie members streamline their day-to-day communications with clients and their job acquisition process, so they can reduce their admin time and focus on their craft. As a result, we’ve seen sole traders expand over the years, growing into large trade businesses. 

Investing in the prosperity of the tradie sector means investing in the on-demand services and digital resources tradies can use, to help them efficiently manage their business, grow their teams and revenue. By accelerating the tradie industry’s digital transformation and cementing its professionalism, the sector’s appeal is bound to broaden for those with interests in trade-based skills and entrepreneurialism.”