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Women in Construction

April 2017

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At G.J. Gardner not only are we helping the industry with our apprentice scheme but also trying to boost the amount women that work in this booming industry too

This year, at G.J. Gardner not only are we helping the industry with our apprentice scheme but also trying to boost the amount women that work in this booming industry too.

Women in construction make up about 5% of the total industry. A figure that is far too low considering construction is the 5th largest sector of employment in NZ. Over the last 5 years there has been a 45% increase in women who work in construction but this figure only equates to about 5000 people and with the industry booming, we need more.

Projections have us needing an extra 49,000 construction jobs by 2021 to meet demand. Job creation and higher skilled workers are needed to achieve maximum productivity and high performance.

The current market is able to support building about 15,000 homes a year but this demand is expected to nearly double in the next 2 years.

Trades have traditionally been considered men’s jobs and we need to break down this stigma and clearly illustrate the opportunities that a career in construction can offer.

An industry that has high growth and high demand offers a place where women can enter a workforce with a reasonable amount of job security. There is also the opportunity to do apprenticeships and earning while learning could be very beneficial to some women who have families to support.

The sector is diversifying. Women are slowly moving into construction but we have a long way to go.  We are trying to speak to girls, women, parents, teachers, careers advisors to get them to see that the construction industry is a good option for females.

There are great career paths, a wide variety of jobs within our business and massive opportunities as this industry goes from strength to strength.  Simply put it is not always about being on the tools.

Our video showcases some of the fantastic women we have within our business and the successful careers that they have. We want to use their stories to inspire other women to consider a career in construction and possibly think of doing an apprenticeship with us or to join our business in another way. They are role models, we need to inspire the “if she can do it, I can do it” mentality by flipping woman in construction from an anomaly to normality.

Look out in the coming weeks for up coming jobs and apprentices roles on our website www.gjgardner.co.nz