Published on 13/07/2020
This first research report by NHFIC - Building jobs: How residential construction drives the economy – looks at the important role the residential construction industry plays in generating jobs and growth across the Australian economy.
The residential building construction industry generates more activity across Australia than nearly every other industry, with each $1 million of economic output supporting nine jobs across the economy.
Contributing around 5 per cent to annual gross domestic product (GDP) and accounting for about 134,000 jobs, the residential construction industry plays an important role in the Australian economy. Economic activity in this industry also affects output across the broader economy.
Understanding the extent to which residential construction activity (including social and affordable housing) affects output and jobs across the broader economy is important, given the impact of COVID 19 and general market uncertainty.
The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) has generated economic multipliers for residential construction. These are based on the most recent available economic data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in its input–output tables at the end of May 2020.
NHFIC’s analysis confirms that, relative to other industries, residential construction activity has strong economic spillovers in terms of economic output and jobs, particularly when there is spare capacity.
Because NHFIC analysed output and employment data from 2017–18, the effect of any industry linkages over the next two to three years is likely to be similar to estimates in this paper. Input–output multipliers can overstate industry effects when the economy has limited spare capacity, but the current economic outlook means that is unlikely to occur over the next few years.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has had a devastating impact on the Australian economy and the day-to-day life of many Australians. NHFIC, in collaboration with CHIA, interviewed representatives of 30 CHPs on the immediate and longer-term effects of COVID-19 on Australia’s social and affordable housing sector, and how it has responded to challenges presented by the pandemic.
Read moreThis research report by NHFIC - COVID-19: Australia's population and housing demand – found that the global pandemic could cut underlying dwelling demand in Australia by between 129,000 and 232,000 from 2020 to 2023, mainly due to the downturn in net overseas migration (NOM). International border closures have effectively shut down NOM, which has accounted for 59 per cent of population growth since 2007.
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