Understanding the patterns, characteristics and trends in the housing sector labour force in Australia

The background to this study is the mismatch between housing supply and demand in Australia. This research seeks to address the following question: What are the key features and trends in the structure, conduct and performance of the core parts of the housing industry and what are the main dimensions of the labour force working in these parts in the context of considerable fluctuations in the level of activity in the housing industry? This paper responds to this question in the following ways: (1) it examines key housing supply trends by considering approvals, commencement and completion times and the value of work done on new dwellings and home improvements; (2) it presents an institutional account of the housing industry by examining industry structure, conduct and performance; (3) it presents an initial analysis of housing sector labour force issues in the context of the broader construction industry labour force; and (4) it begins the process of examining the housing sector labour force in the spatial context of large metropolitan capital cities.

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