Western Australia's building and construction industry is booming and the demand for skilled workers is growing!
To help meet this demand, on 30 April 2023 the State Government announced initiatives to boost WA's building and construction workforce capacity, delivering additional skilled workers for this crucial industry that enables job growth across the state.
The following new initiatives for the building and construction industry will commence on 1 July 2023. Full details will be made available closer to the start date.
Construction Visa Subsidy Program
A new $11 million Construction Visa Subsidy Program will provide grants to offset the costs of supporting overseas workers to start their employment in Western Australia’s building and construction industry.
The program will provide around 1,100 visa subsidies of up to $10,000 to attract skilled migrants to the residential and commercial construction sector in 2023—24.
Email us to register your interest in the program.
GTO Wage Subsidy Program
On 1 January 2022, the State Government introduced a $34.2 million Group Training Organisation (GTO) Wage Subsidy Program to support 300 apprentices and trainees in the building and construction industry for work on State Government projects.
The program supports eligible employers by covering the average estimated award wage paid to apprentices and trainees.
The wage subsidy is being expanded to include apprentices and trainees working in the residential construction sector, opening it up to assist more small to medium building and construction businesses in WA.
For further information and full details of the GTO Wage Subsidy Program, please visit the Jobs and Skills WA website.
Amendments to State Nomination
Additional amendments will be made to the State Nominated Migration Program (SNMP) criteria for 2023—24, including:
- waiving the requirement to provide a six-month contract of employment for visa subclass 190 applicants for building and construction trade occupations;
- prioritising of invitations for applicants in WA to retain skilled workers in the State, with applicants residing in the rest of Australia and overseas ranked equally; and
- prioritising of invitations for industries with critical demand for skilled workers, including building and construction, health and medical, teaching, tourism and hospitality occupations.
Please visit our SNMP page for further information about the program.
If you are currently looking to employ a skilled migrant, please visit our Skilled Migrant Employment Register where you can browse for a suitably skilled person who is seeking work in WA.