Today’s National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) quarterly data shows that 105,790 construction apprentices were in training at the end of 2025 – the lowest number in five years. The slump in construction apprenticeships comes at a time of acute labour shortages in the industry.
Australia needs more than 300,000 additional infrastructure workers by 2030, alongside a further 116,000 housing construction workers.
Master Builders Australia’s chief economist, Shane Garrett, said that while the data included some positive news, the trend was deeply concerning.
“Over 7,600 new construction apprentices started out during the December 2025 quarter," Garrett said.
"Encouragingly, this was 10.0 per cent up on the same period a year earlier.
“However, apprentice numbers are still getting hammered by worryingly high withdrawal rates.
"During 2025, 28,290 construction apprentices exited their training early and without any qualifications.
"It means that the number of people who quit construction apprenticeships last year was higher than those who successfully completed their training."
Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn says these are workers we need to build our way out of the housing crisis.
“These are the workers Australia needs right now to turnaround our housing supply shortfall in order to improve affordability," Wawn said.
"Without them, targets will be missed and supply will fall further behind demand.
“We need more Australians to complete apprenticeships and to get on the tools, backed by a migration system that brings in trade‑qualified workers ready to contribute from day one.
"This combination will deliver a positive net impact on housing supply.”
Master Builders Australia’s policy roadmap advocates for a set of workforce measures:
