newy.com.au – Heddon Greta bricklayer Tahlia Kelly is urging more Hunter women to take up the trade as the housing industry grapples with a severe shortage of skilled workers.
Women account for just 1 per cent of employed bricklayers in Australia, or fewer than 200 workers, according to Jobs and Skills Australia figures cited by TAFE NSW.
The Housing Industry Association’s late-2025 Trades Report ranked bricklaying as the most acute labour shortage among residential building trades, ahead of carpentry, plastering and roofing.
Ms Kelly, 23, had hoped to become a carpenter after leaving school but was unable to secure an apprenticeship. She instead found work as a bricklayer’s labourer, where her performance prompted her employer to offer her a bricklaying apprenticeship.
Now qualified and working for Ellaby Bricklaying, she said the physical and creative sides of the job were among its attractions.
“I’ve always been really hands-on and I just love the physicality and how rewarding a trade like bricklaying is,” Ms Kelly said.
“You get to create a legacy that will last for hundreds of years and there’s more room for creativity in the trade than people realise.”
Ms Kelly completed her apprenticeship training at TAFE NSW Tighes Hill, combining workshop-based instruction with experience on building sites.
Jobs and Skills Australia data puts median annual earnings for qualified bricklayers at about $120,000. Further study, including a Certificate IV in Building and Construction, can also form part of the pathway towards applying for a builder’s licence, subject to NSW licensing requirements.
Brick and Block Careers chief executive Luke Radford said women entering the industry were helping challenge entrenched perceptions about who could work in the trade.
“There’s huge opportunities for young women in our sector and the possibilities are endless,” Mr Radford said.
“It can give you a rewarding career and a great pathway into becoming a builder.”
TAFE NSW Newcastle head teacher of bricklaying David Lange-Smith said demand for skilled workers was creating strong prospects for apprentices.
“There is still a huge shortage of quality bricklayers and this generation of apprentices has the opportunity to build a very lucrative career,” he said.
For Ms Kelly, missing out on her first-choice apprenticeship ultimately opened the way to a secure career in a trade where women remain rare — and where employers need more workers.
