Australia’s Building Boom Leads to a Surge in Sawmill Employment

According to analysis provided by the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a building boom in the country, and as a result Australia’s timber framing sawmills have increased employment by almost 25%. This analysis is in stark contrast to reported Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) global trends that suggested that timber processing employment would fall by -18% between 2019-2024.

AFPA Chief Executive Officer Ross Hampton said forest product processing in Australia is booming with the insatiable demand for Aussie-made sustainable building products. “We are seeing more and more everyday how Australians are increasingly valuing forest industry products.” Mr. Hampton went onto say, “It’s true that timber production is being constrained in some countries as global companies seek to ensure sustainable production lines, but in Australia our builders and homeowners understand our local industry is completely sustainable. They are also learning that we are part of the solution in mitigating climate change. In Australia, we are producing essential products to the highest environmental standards in the world and supporting tens of thousands of regional jobs across the country. We replant our plantations and completely regenerate harvested native forests, by law.”