INSIGHT · LABOUR & TRADES
Construction apprentices in Australia:
fewer in training, more finishing.
How many construction apprentices are in training in Australia? NCVER estimates 60,290 apprentices and trainees in Construction Trades Workers occupations at 31 March 2026, down 7.1% on a year earlier. In the 12 months to March 2026, 21,350 commenced, 16,075 completed and 16,750 cancelled or withdrew. Electricians are counted in a separate group, with 45,780 in training. The 6-year completion rate for those construction trades is 59.4% for the 2019 commencing cohort.
Analysed 2 November 2026 · NCVER Apprentices and trainees 2026: March quarter, published 15 September 2026 (Collection no. 128, June 2026 estimates, data to 31 March 2026) · NCVER Apprentice and trainee completion rates 2025, published 28 July 2026 · Jobs and Skills Australia 2026 Occupation Shortage List · National Housing Supply and Affordability Council · Treasury · Infrastructure Australia · Master Builders Australia. Figures are contracts, rounded to the nearest five by NCVER, and recent figures are estimates that NCVER revises.
Key takeaways
- 60,290 in training, down 7.1% in a year: NCVER's estimate for Construction Trades Workers at 31 March 2026 is 15.5% below March 2022. These are contracts in training, not people, and the figure covers ANZSCO group 33, which leaves out electricians.
- Commencements rose 6.0% after three annual falls: 21,350 commenced in the 12 months to March 2026, up from 20,150, but still 28.9% below the 30,040 of the 12 months to March 2022 (NCVER).
- Completions up 10.3%, cancellations down 3.3%: Over the same 12 months 16,075 completed and 16,750 cancelled or withdrew. NCVER says cancellations should be read with recommencements, because some people resume with another employer: 8,410 recommenced in that period.
- A 59.4% completion rate needs its cohort: NCVER's 6-year rate for Construction Trades Workers follows the 2019 commencing cohort of 18,690 apprenticeships. It describes people who started seven years ago, not this year's starters.
- "Half a million" is a 2023 industry estimate of workers needed: Master Builders Australia's release of 21 April 2023 estimates 486,000 workers need to enter building and construction by the end of 2026, including to replace those who leave. The figure is not in Infrastructure Australia's 2024 or 2025 capacity reports. The search phrase itself names a United States trade association release, which blocked reading on 2 November 2026: not verified.
01
Construction Trades Workers:
in training, starting, finishing, leaving.
The NCVER construction apprentice series counts four flows and one stock for Construction Trades Workers (ANZSCO 33: bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, floor finishers, painters, glaziers, plasterers, tilers and plumbers). In-training is a stock at 31 March 2026. The other rows are 12-month flows to March.
Changes are as published by NCVER, which rounds percentages using unrounded data, so a sum on the rounded figures can differ slightly. NCVER says estimates are revised for up to seven quarters, and advises caution with data from 2020 onwards. In-training is a point-in-time count and cannot be added across years.
| Measure | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Change 2022-26 | Change 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In training at 31 March | 71,370 | 70,385 | 69,140 | 64,875 | 60,290 | -15.5% | -7.1% |
| Commencements, 12 months | 30,040 | 26,005 | 22,470 | 20,150 | 21,350 | -28.9% | +6.0% |
| Completions, 12 months | 12,750 | 13,940 | 12,245 | 14,575 | 16,075 | +26.1% | +10.3% |
| Cancellations and withdrawals, 12 months | 19,190 | 19,625 | 19,185 | 17,330 | 16,750 | -12.7% | -3.3% |
| Recommencements, 12 months | 9,405 | 7,910 | 8,870 | 8,895 | 8,410 | -10.6% | -5.4% |
02
Construction apprentices
by state and territory.
Construction Trades Workers in training fell in six of the eight jurisdictions in the year to 31 March 2026, on NCVER's estimates. Western Australia and the Northern Territory rose. Over the four years since March 2022, South Australia and Western Australia are higher, Queensland is level and the others are lower.
Commencements, completions, cancellations and withdrawals are for the 12 months to March 2026. The 6-year completion rate is for the 2019 commencing cohort, apprenticeship level, from Apprentice and trainee completion rates 2025: the cohort was 3,245 commencements in Queensland, 710 in Tasmania and 135 in the Northern Territory, so small-jurisdiction rates are less stable. Rounded figures may not sum to the Australian total.
| State | In training | Change on a year | Change since 2022 | Commencements | Completions | Cancellations and withdrawals | 6-year completion rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 17,730 | -8.2% | -22.9% | 6,210 | 5,085 | 5,505 | 59.9% |
| Victoria | 16,295 | -12.0% | -25.3% | 4,995 | 4,345 | 5,315 | 57.8% |
| Queensland | 14,030 | -2.7% | -0.1% | 5,575 | 3,565 | 3,405 | 56.4% |
| South Australia | 4,395 | -1.8% | +12.2% | 1,445 | 980 | 720 | 66.2% |
| Western Australia | 5,060 | +4.7% | +15.6% | 1,980 | 1,150 | 1,010 | 63.7% |
| Tasmania | 1,620 | -17.1% | -36.9% | 560 | 620 | 385 | 70.6% |
| Northern Territory | 430 | +1.4% | -6.3% | 155 | 90 | 120 | 41.6% |
| Australian Capital Territory | 735 | -21.1% | -39.8% | 425 | 250 | 295 | 60.1% |
| Australia | 60,290 | -7.1% | -15.5% | 21,350 | 16,075 | 16,750 | 59.4% |
03
Carpenters, plumbers, electricians:
and how to read their drop out rates.
NCVER's quarterly release names only its top 10 trade occupations, including carpenters and joiners, plumbers and electricians. Electricians belong to Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers (ANZSCO 34), not group 33, so their 45,780 in training are additional to the 60,290 Construction Trades Workers. Construction apprentice drop out rates in Australia are best read from NCVER's cohort measures. For the 2019 commencing cohort of trade apprenticeships, 58.7% had completed after six years, 39.5% had ended without completion and 1.8% were still in training. NCVER changed its method in 2025, using unique identifiers to follow apprenticeships across contracts.
Stocks are at 31 March. Flows are for the 12 months to March 2026. Completion rates are for the 2019 commencing cohort, from Apprentice and trainee completion rates 2025. Other trades such as bricklayers and tilers are not in the release's top 10 tables, and we did not query NCVER's DataBuilder.
| Occupation | In training 2026 | In training 2022 | Commencements | Completions | Cancellations and withdrawals | 6-year completion rate | Cohort commencements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenters and Joiners (3312) | 29,790 | 36,740 | 10,285 | 8,640 | 7,940 | 63.7% | 8,880 |
| Plumbers (3341) | 21,685 | 22,375 | 7,620 | 5,085 | 6,260 | 62.0% | 5,890 |
| Electricians (3411) | 45,780 | 40,480 | 14,280 | 10,415 | 8,330 | 71.7% | 9,660 |
- Three levels, three answers: For trades in the 2019 cohort, NCVER reports 44.3% at contract level, 58.7% at apprenticeship level and 63.4% for individuals. A contract can end while the person continues with another employer, so the level must be named.
- Attrition is not permanent exit: NCVER says attrition "does not mean permanent withdrawal from training". It is the share of apprenticeships that ended without completion at a point in time.
- Do not divide completions by commencements: The 16,075 completions and 21,350 commencements in the 12 months to March 2026 belong to different starters. A ratio of the two is not a completion rate.
- Early exits and time to finish: NCVER reports almost one-fifth of trade apprenticeships ending without completion within the first 12 months, and average time to completion of 3.5 years for the 2019 trade cohort on a 6-year reference period, against 2.8 years for the 2012 cohort.
04
What the series can say,
and what it cannot.
NCVER apprentice data measures contracts in the training system. It does not measure the construction workforce, the number of workers a project needs, or the reason any one apprentice left.
| Question | Can the series answer it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| How many contracts are in training in an occupation? | Yes, as an estimate | Stock at a date, rounded and revised |
| How many apprentices will qualify next year? | No | No forecast is published in the release. A count of those in training is not a count of who will finish |
| Is there a shortage of carpenters? | No | Shortage ratings come from Jobs and Skills Australia, using other evidence |
| How many construction workers are short? | No | NCVER does not measure this |
| Why did people leave? | Not from this release | NCVER's Apprentice and trainee outcomes 2025 surveys this: 27.7% of trade non-completers gave dissatisfaction with pay, conditions or the workplace as the main reason, and 19.8% gave personal reasons |
| How many work for builders, whatever their occupation? | Partly | Employer industry Construction holds 109,420 contracts, 37.8% of all in training. NCVER says group training organisations are mostly allocated to Employment Services, overstating Administrative and Support Services |
05
Tracing the shortage figures,
including "half a million".
Construction workforce shortage figures quoted in Australia measure different things. As read on 2 November 2026, an extra 116,700 and almost 140,000 are housing workforce estimates cited by Treasury and the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, 141,000 is Infrastructure Australia's public infrastructure estimate, and "half a million" appears in a 2023 Master Builders Australia release estimating that 486,000 workers need to enter the industry by the end of 2026. A United States release uses the same phrase.
None of these figures should be added together or set against NCVER's apprentice counts.
| Figure | Where we found it | What it measures | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 279 of 1,021 occupations (27%) | Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List | Occupations in national shortage on an OSCA basis, not workers. At unit group level, JSA's 2026 Unit Group Shortage List rates these in shortage: Bricklayers and Stonemasons, Carpenters and Joiners, Floor Finishers, Painters, Glaziers, Plasterers and Renderers, Roof Tilers, Wall and Floor Tilers, Plumbers and Electricians | Read directly |
| "an extra 116,700 workers" | Treasury, Homes for Australia: A National Plan (June 2026), citing BuildSkills Australia | Workers needed to meet the National Housing Accord target | Read in Treasury's plan. Underlying study not read |
| "almost 140,000 extra workers" | National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, State of the Housing System 2026, citing BuildSkills Australia 2025 | Extra workers needed to support the Housing Accord's objectives | Read in the Council's report. Underlying study not read. No reconciliation with 116,700 found |
| 141,000 | Infrastructure Australia, 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report (November 2025) | Public infrastructure workforce shortage as of October 2025, not housing. The report says it could reach a peak of 300,000 by 2027 | Read directly. The 2024 report said 197,000 |
| 486,000, described as "half a million" | Master Builders Australia, media release of 21 April 2023 | Workers needed to enter building and construction by the end of 2026, to meet growth projections and replace those who leave, 229,000 of them in technician and trade roles. The release also speaks of "a shortage of half a million workers" | Read directly. An industry body's estimate; the blueprint behind it was not read |
| "Half a million" in the search phrase | The search phrase names a release of a United States trade association, Associated Builders and Contractors | As attributed by search results, a United States figure | not verified (2 Nov 2026): the release blocked direct reading |
What we would put in a system
A system-design recommendation for a builder or contractor who carries apprentices and wants its own numbers to sit beside NCVER's.
Where agents help here is narrow. An agent can draft the weekly rotation from the program and flag a contract anniversary, and a person confirms it. In this design, no agent decides who supervises an apprentice, whether work has been done competently, or whether a contract ends.
| Field | Why it is load-bearing |
|---|---|
| Apprentice, occupation and contract dates | Lets a firm match its own count to the ANZSCO group NCVER publishes. |
| Supervisor by job | Shows which qualified person was on which site and day. |
| Rotation by trade task | Shows what work the apprentice actually did, and what is still to come. |
| End reason, recorded at the time | A contract ended, transferred or completed each read differently, as they do in NCVER's data. |
Questions worth asking
of your own apprentice numbers
For a builder's director: which group do your apprentices sit in?
NCVER's Construction Trades Workers count of 60,290 leaves out electricians, who sit in ANZSCO group 34. A comparison with your own numbers has to use the same group. Figures are estimates at 31 March 2026.
For a head contractor: do your supervisors know which contracts are near a year-one anniversary?
NCVER reports almost one-fifth of trade apprenticeships ending without completion within the first 12 months. That is a national figure and not a measure of any one firm. A dated record of the first year is what lets a firm see its own.
For a trade subcontractor: when an apprentice leaves you, do you know if they recommenced?
NCVER counted 8,410 recommencements in Construction Trades Workers in the 12 months to March 2026. A cancellation in one firm's records can be a recommencement in another's.
Questions people ask
about construction apprentices
How many construction apprentices are there in Australia?
NCVER estimates 60,290 contracts in training in Construction Trades Workers occupations at 31 March 2026, down 7.1% on a year earlier. That excludes electricians, a separate group with 45,780 in training. Across all trades, NCVER estimates 216,000.
What is the drop out rate for construction apprentices in Australia?
NCVER reports a 6-year attrition rate of 39.5% for trade apprenticeships in the 2019 commencing cohort, and a 6-year completion rate of 59.4% for Construction Trades Workers in that cohort. NCVER says attrition does not mean permanent withdrawal from training, and contract-level rates are lower.
How long does a construction apprenticeship take in Australia?
NCVER reports average time to completion of 3.5 years for trade apprenticeships in the 2019 commencing cohort on a 6-year reference period, up from 2.8 years for the 2012 cohort. Plumbers took an average of 3 years and 11 months. Those are averages for people who completed, not contract terms.
Is there a construction workforce shortage in Australia?
Jobs and Skills Australia's 2026 Occupation Shortage List rates 279 of 1,021 assessed occupations (27%) in national shortage, and its 2026 Unit Group Shortage List rates carpenters and joiners, plumbers, bricklayers and electricians in shortage. Treasury's June 2026 plan cites BuildSkills Australia's estimate of an extra 116,700 workers to meet the Housing Accord target.
Is the construction workforce shortage half a million workers?
Not as a measured shortage. Master Builders Australia's release of 21 April 2023 speaks of "a shortage of half a million workers" and estimates that 486,000 workers need to enter building and construction by the end of 2026, to meet growth projections and replace those who leave. Infrastructure Australia's 2025 report gives a shortage of 141,000 on public infrastructure as of October 2025, which it says could reach 300,000 by 2027. A release of the United States body Associated Builders and Contractors uses the same phrase; it blocked direct reading, so it is not verified (2 Nov 2026).
What this analysis
does and does not show.
Evidence note
- What it shows
- NCVER's estimates of Construction Trades Workers in training, commencing, completing and cancelling or withdrawing at the national and state level, three named trades, NCVER's cohort completion rates, and a trace of the shortage figures quoted in Australia.
- Key facts quoted
- 60,290 in training at 31 March 2026 (down 7.1%); 21,350 commencements, 16,075 completions and 16,750 cancellations and withdrawals in the 12 months to March 2026; 59.4% 6-year completion rate, 2019 cohort; 39.5% trade attrition, 2019 cohort; 279 of 1,021 occupations in shortage.
- NCVER counts contracts, not people. Values are rounded to the nearest five, and rates and changes are computed on unrounded data.
- Recent figures are estimates, revised for up to seven quarters. NCVER advises caution with data from 2020 onwards. A later release can change these counts, including past years.
- Figures were read from the data tables on NCVER's release pages. The release's downloadable workbook was not separately opened, and DataBuilder and VOCSTATS were not queried.
- Infrastructure Australia, Treasury and the Council quote their own measures. The BuildSkills Australia study behind 116,700 and almost 140,000 was not read, and we found no explanation of the gap between them.
- The United States release behind "half a million" blocked direct reading on 2 November 2026. Its attribution rests on search results, so we give it no number.
- Master Builders Australia's 486,000 is an industry body's 2023 estimate. The blueprint behind it was not read.
- General information about published statistics. Not workforce, legal or industrial advice, and not a forecast.
What to watch next
- 30 November 2026: NCVER lists Apprentices and trainees: June quarter 2026, with historical time-series 1963-2026.
- Completion rates: NCVER publishes this annually. The 2025 release came out on 28 July 2026. A date for the next one was not listed when we read the page.
Bring us your apprentice list.
Send us your apprentice list and the jobs they rotate through. We will show you which supervision, rotation and end-reason records you already hold, and what is missing.
General information based on NCVER and government publications, as read on 2 November 2026. Figures are estimates and are revised. Not workforce, legal or industrial advice.
Sources
Suggested citation: NCVER, Apprentices and trainees 2026: March quarter (Collection no. 128, June 2026 estimates), published 15 September 2026; NCVER, Apprentice and trainee completion rates 2025, published 28 July 2026; as read 2 November 2026. Derived figures: none. Changes and rates are as published by NCVER.
- NCVER - Apprentices and trainees 2026: March quarter: Published 15 September 2026, Collection no. 128, June 2026 estimates · read 2 November 2026 · Official statistics; figure data on the release page
- NCVER - Apprentice and trainee completion rates 2025: Published 28 July 2026, Collection no. 127 · read 2 November 2026 · Official statistics; figure data on the release page
- NCVER - Apprentice and trainee completion rates: frequently asked questions: 2025 fact sheet · read 2 November 2026 · Methodology (PDF)
- NCVER - Apprentice and trainee outcomes 2025: Released 25 March 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Official survey
- NCVER - Upcoming releases: Read 2 November 2026 · Release calendar
- Jobs and Skills Australia - 2026 OSL Key Findings Report: October 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Government report (PDF)
- Jobs and Skills Australia - 2026 Occupation Shortage Drivers report: 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Government report (PDF)
- Jobs and Skills Australia - 2026 Unit Group Shortage List: 2026 list, 4 digit ANZSCO · read 2 November 2026 · Government workbook (XLSX)
- Infrastructure Australia - 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report: November 2025 · read 2 November 2026 · Government report
- National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - State of the Housing System 2026: April 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Government report (PDF)
- Treasury - Homes for Australia: A National Plan: June 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Government plan (PDF)
- Master Builders Australia - Builders nail plan for half a million workers by 2026: Published 21 April 2023 · read 2 November 2026 · Industry body media release
- Australian Bureau of Statistics - ANZSCO 2022, sub-major group 33: 2022 classification · read 2 November 2026 · Official classification
RELATED READING
Other readings on the same records.
- Qualified is not the same quantity as available: A $78 million program to qualify up to 6,000 experienced construction workers targets who holds a qualification, not how many people are on site. (Labour & Trades)
- Construction levies by state: one found in NSW, three in Queensland: Rate, threshold, trigger, payer and collector for each levy on project value, with a worked example on $2,000,000 as our calculation. (Cost & Quoting)
- Construction sign-offs name a person. The rules we read are silent on AI: Who each instrument places the declaration on in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and WA, what is declared, and the record of what the signing person saw and when. (AI Governance & Compliance)