Construction workers in one Australian city are earning $124 AN HOUR making them among the best paid tradies in the world
- Melbourne tradies best paid in Australia, at an average $124 an hour
- That rate is the seventh highest in the world, only behind 2 Swiss and 4 US cities
- Senior construction sources say that is why major infrastructure is so costly
- A New Zealand tradie claims Victorian builders are even poaching Kiwis for work
If you’re a construction worker, Melbourne is one of the best places in the world to be.
It’s been revealed the southern capital has the highest average hourly wage for a construction worker in the country at $124 – and the seventh highest in the world.
Melbourne’s hourly rate is only beaten by six cities – four from the US and two from Switzerland.
Senior construction sources said the figures show why major infrastructure is so costly to build in Victoria.
Melbourne tradies are the best paid in Australia, at an average $124 an hour, $20 more than the average pay for a construction worker in Sydney
Melbourne pay for construction workers is the seventh highest in the world, coming in only behind two Swiss and four US cities
The Australian Workers Union said the fact Victoria’s construction rates are higher than the rest of the country and most of the world should be considered a badge of honour.
A Victorian tradie’s salary would work out to be $243,000 a year if they worked an average 38-hour week.
The figures were included in a Turner and Townsend survey, assessing labour market conditions in 88 markets across the world.
Geneva came in at top spot, with a $175.50-an-hour salary, followed by Zurich ($174.50), San Francisco ($172.82), New York City ($169.48), Boston ($163.55), Los Angeles ($134.64) and then Melbourne ($124.26).
The Turner and Townsend report revealed the overall cost of building in Australia increased during the Covid pandemic due to the loss of skilled migrants.
‘The loss of skilled migration during 2020-21 had a considerable impact on the availability of construction labour in these markets, which has subsequently pushed up labour costs, making it the second most expensive region for construction labour,’ the report reads.
The Turner and Townsend report says Group 1 trades – which include plumbers and electricians – earn an average $130 in Victoria, $20 more than the $110 average in Sydney.
Senior construction sources said the figures show why major infrastructure is so costly to build in Victoria
The wages Melbourne tradies are commanding are such that companies are attempting to poach construction workers from across the ditch.
A New Zealand tradesman claimed Kiwi tradies are being drafted from construction sites to work in Australia with promises of an airplane ticket, 12-months free rent and an hourly rate double what they now earn.
The construction worker called into New Zealand radio station Today FM to make his claims to host Duncan Garner.
The tradie told listeners an Aussie builder was on site ‘tapping everyone on the shoulder’ offering wages of $75 per hour, which is double the pay for Kiwi construction workers on the lowest pay rate.
He said workers were offered a free flight to Melbourne along with living rent free for 12 months.
Garner was taken aback by the claims of free rent, before encouraging workers to take up the generous offer if they can.
‘It is twice the salary plus a year’s free rent, it’s a no-brainer for anyone who can go,’ Garner said. ‘If you don’t have kids or whatever, and you can go, just go.’
A New Zealand tradie claims Victorian builders are even poaching Kiwis for work by offering wages of $75 per hour, double the pay for Kiwi construction workers on the lowest pay rate
The Kiwi tradie said workers were being offered a free flight to Melbourne along with living rent free for 12 months
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