Paddy seizing opportunity in Sydney construction boom
EXCITING times in the Sydney construction industry have led to the birth of Oz Labour Solutions, a new Irish recruitment and labour hire company, based in the Irish neighbourhood of Randwick, with a Mayo man at the helm.
Oz Labour Solutions connects jobseekers with opportunities across the full spectrum of construction, from skilled and unskilled labourers to qualified professional roles in engineering, project management and more.
Speaking at the launch event, recruitment manager and Cross native Paddy McTigue explained: 'The current boom in Sydney across residential, commercial and infrastructural projects has created a huge demand for workers of all skill levels. Irish people are well respected in the industry here due to our skills in construction and the work ethic we show wherever we go in the world.
'I first arrived in Australia in April 2004, and initially went to Childers, in Queensland. I spent seven months up there backpacking, playing rugby, working on farms, and enjoying the sunny, laidback lifestyle.
'I then moved to Sydney, where the Irish community is really well established, and I settled very quickly into the swing of things - with the GAA, the great social scene and, of course, plenty of work.
'I met my wife Karen in Sydney, and together we decided to move home to Ireland in ’06, but the pressures of the recession brought us back out to Australia in 2013.'
Sydney, he says, is a fantastic city to live in, with the outdoor lifestyle and beaches on your doorstep.
The mining boom was based in remote areas of Australia, but this current flood of work is much more central and offers a far better work-life balance.
Continued Paddy: 'Of course you always miss home but it’s much easier now with Facetime and WhatsApp so I can keep in touch with my Mam and family in Mayo and my brother Tony in New York.'
Sydney opportunities
The NSW government predicts that the next five years will deliver the biggest housing construction boom in the city of Sydney, with almost 185,000 new houses and apartments to be added to the city by 2021 – about 85 per cent more properties than were built in the previous five years. Additionally, commercial projects are soaring with more than 2 million square metres of new office space to be built across metropolitan Sydney between 2019 and 2023.
The main buzz sector, however, will be the huge investment in transport infrastructure projects by the state. Over the three years spanning 2016/17 to 2019/20, the dollar value of work done on roads is predicted to grow by 27% from $6 billion to $7.7 billion and that on rail, bridges and harbours to rise 49% from $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion.
For further information on employment opportunities or moving to Sydney, contact info@ozlaboursolutions.com, call +61 417 364 455, or see www.ozlaboursolutions.com.