One Plumber, Four Licences: Why Australia's Trade Shortage Is Reviving the "All-Rounder" Tradie
Trades are now the hardest jobs in Australia to fill, and this Redlands tradesman holds four licences so homeowners can book one person instead of chasing several.
Australia's worsening trade shortage is reviving the "all-rounder" tradesperson, with Victoria Point plumber David Muscroft holding four licences so Redlands homeowners can book one person instead of several.
Jobs and Skills Australia's latest Occupation Shortage Report put trade vacancy fill rates at 54.3 per cent, against a 70.2 per cent national average, the lowest of any skill level in the country.
BuildSkills Australia's Housing Workforce Capacity Study found the construction sector needs 116,700 more workers to meet the National Housing Accord's target of 1.2 million new homes within five years.
That shortage is bringing the all-rounder tradesperson back into demand, and Mr Muscroft is a local example, holding licences in plumbing, gasfitting, restricted building and restricted electrical work for anything that is related to plumbing.
Mr Muscroft, who has been in the plumbing and drainage trade since 1999, started Pipe Pro after seeing homeowners let down by tradespeople who did not show up, communicate or finish the job properly.
"It's not just about pipes and fittings, it's about reliability, reputation and doing right by the local community," Mr Muscroft said.
"For me, that means turning up and finishing the job myself, not handing something half-finished off to someone else."
One Redlands customer contacted eight other local plumbers before Pipe Pro answered the phone, an experience Mr Muscroft said was becoming common as demand outpaces the number of tradespeople available.
Holding both a plumbing and a restricted electrical licence lets Mr Muscroft complete jobs such as hot water system replacements in a single visit, rather than homeowners waiting on a second tradesperson to disconnect and reconnect the power.
"A hot water swap often needs a plumber and someone to disconnect and reconnect the power," he said.
"If I can do both, the family has hot water back the same day."
Mr Muscroft said 26 years in the trade, including time as a Queensland Government Plumbing Inspector and a Certificate IV Plumbing Services trainer at TAFE Queensland, gave him a close view of why the all-rounder tradesperson is back in demand.
"I spent years inspecting other plumbers' work and teaching apprentices at TAFE," he said.
"The shortage isn't just about numbers, it's about how long it takes to train someone properly."
Pipe Pro Plumbing & Gasfitting is a locally owned plumbing and gasfitting business based in Victoria Point, providing hot water, drainage, emergency and gas fitting services to homeowners across the Redlands Coast, Brisbane Bayside and Brisbane's Eastern Suburbs (QBCC licence 15581067, gas work licence L91471).
