Media Release
19 March 2009
Construction Jobs Set to Decline Further
Statement by Mr Wilhelm Harnisch, Chief Executive Officer
Master Builders Australia, the peak building and construction industry association, said the
building industry was bracing itself for tougher conditions ahead in 2009.
Mr Wilhelm Harnisch, Master Builders Chief Executive Officer said, “The decline in
construction jobs in the latest quarter reflects the projected decline in activity.”
“Employment data released by the ABS today lend weight to Master Builders’ prediction of
50,000 job losses in the building and construction industry over the next 12 months.”
“Master Builders’ economic survey shows that more than 50 per cent of builders surveyed by
Master Builders Australia expect staffing/sub-contract numbers to fall by more than 10 per
cent as a result of the global financial crisis.”
“In that regard, Master Builders welcomes recent initiatives by the Reserve Bank and the
Federal Government designed to insulate the economy from the worst effects of the global
financial crisis.”
“To ensure that fiscal initiatives work in a timely fashion to provide the stimulus needed to
cushion the economy, the Government must ensure that bureaucratic road blocks are
removed and that project approvals are fast-tracked.”
He said, “With the Australian economy weakening
it is crucial that Government policy is
business-friendly
and
the last thing the building industry needs
is a
less flexible industrial
relations environment that will add to uncertainty and raise costs.”
The total number employed in the construction industry in the February quarter 2009,
seasonally adjusted, fell by 0.6 per cent to 979,700 to be down by 0.5 per cent on the
February quarter 2008.
The number employed in the construction industry in the February quarter
represented 9.1 per cent of total employed in the Australian work force, down from
9.2 per cent in the corresponding quarter a year ago.”
For further information contact:
Wilhelm Harnisch
Chief Executive Officer
Office: 02 6202 8888
Mobile:
0402 039 039
NEWS 
