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Ahead of the invite-only Jobs and Skills summit, the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) has called on the federal government to prioritise real estate industry skill shortages that are exacerbating the housing crisis.
Amid a national shortage of property managers — with a reported 3,000 roles offered on seek.com.au alone — the institute has called on the federal government to focus on this chronic under-supply at the summit in early September.
“Sectors like real estate, particularly in residential property management, are struggling to recruit and staff their offices,” REIA president Hayden Groves said.
“In a time when rental supply and affordability is affecting many Australians, this is simply being further exacerbated by staff shortages.”
Mr Groves explained that the upskilling of property managers would be “a critical success factor in alleviating the supply of rentals”.
He outlined how the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the real estate industry, with vacancies in the sector increasing by over 80 per cent during 2021. Mr Groves believes a healthy stock of property managers is crucial to assist Australia’s rental residents.
“Around 2.7 million Australians live in rentals and it is critical we have an adequate workforce that supports Australia’s tenants and property owners,” he said.
In addition to the calls to assist the property management sector, the institute has also released an action plan for the 47th Parliament. Its key requests include:
- An immediate and evidenced-based rapid response skills crisis study be commissioned by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
- The Jobs and Skills Australia body include representation from small business and non-unionised workforces
- Partial or full reinstatement of the JobTrainer fund employment support subsidies
- Make all sectors eligible for the Priority Occupation Skilled Occupation list
Furthermore, the institute outlined actions it believes the government needs to take in regard to housing and rental supply and affordability, which are:
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