Published Wednesday, July 3, 2019 / By Jaisea Khaled
The Australian and New Zealand HVAC industry is steadily growing in volume, over 7% each year. According to a report by Research and Markets, it’s expected that the market will reach a value of $3 billion by 2022.
The Australian and New Zealand HVAC industry is steadily growing in volume, over 7% each year. According to a report by Research and Markets, it’s expected that the market will reach a value of $3 billion by 2022.
Much of this growth is thanks to the government initiating new construction projects and tightening regulations for renewable energy. A large number of residential and commercial developments are creating higher demand for HVAC installations, while the push toward sustainability has driven the need for both system upgrades and product innovations.
HVAC professionals are benefiting greatly from this swell, as it has sent salaries soaring. Industry employers are offering generous compensation to compete for the small number of qualified workers.
Tech Advancement
Technology is spurring the HVAC industry forward, allowing for faster developments. A few big shifts are already underway:
Going Green
Sustainability has become a top priority in Australian construction and facility management. This has made energy efficiency in HVAC products and services highly sought after. The industry is now addressing a variety of eco-conscious considerations, including:
Candidate Shortage
Australia has been suffering from a big shortage in the trades sector. This is largely because not enough young workers have entered the field to replace retiring workers. As more baby boomers age out, the talent pool gets even smaller.
Industry leaders are pushing to remedy this by offering more apprenticeships, starting campaigns to encourage trades education, and lobbying the government to expand the TAFE program.
Attracting Women to the Workforce
The aforementioned labour shortage is only exacerbated by the fact that women are scarce in the trades. This means that HVAC and the other trades aren’t appealing to half of Australia’s working population, leaving a huge resource untapped.
The industry can relieve some of its labour pressures by attracting women to HVAC roles. More needs to be done to show women that HVAC offers interesting, valuable careers with a welcoming work environment.
Appealing to School-Leavers
The current culture has made it so that when youths graduate from high school, they often feel like attending university is the only way to get an education and prepare themselves for a successful future. Many don’t even realise that not only is the HVAC industry a promising career option, it’s also possible to get started via apprenticeships straight out of high school.
Industry leaders must actively work to raise awareness among youths and present HVAC apprenticeships as viable paths post-graduation.
Australia’s HVAC industry is ripe with opportunity for talent seeking rewarding work. The stably growing demand for HVAC skills has created good job security and solid pathways to career advancement.
Our latest Salary Survey found that the high earning potential and competitive benefits packages makes HVAC an attractive option. If you would like a further look into HVAC salaries, benefits packages and trends then get your copy of the 2019 HVAC Salary Survey here.