Hammering home the most popular trades as regional building markets outperform Sydney

We reveal the top ten trades googled in Coffs Harbour in 2024 and unpack the reasons why regional towns are currently outperforming Sydney for trade demand.

Had enough of DIY? You’re not alone, as new data reveals the most googled trade in Coffs Harbour in 2024.

Whether you are doing a home build or a renovation, the data is clear — the demand for tradespeople in Coffs Harbour is strong.

And if you don’t want to Google it, a peak trade body will also confirm it.

According to small business insurers Bizcover, electricians, followed by concreters then carpenters topped the searches for tradespeople in Coffs Harbour in 2024.

Newly-appointed Housing Industry Association (HIA) deputy executive director Brad Armitage said the fresh data from Bizcover correlated to HIA’s own data which also showed the demand for tradespersons in regional NSW was currently stronger than in Sydney.

“That’s largely because Sydney building activity is so low at the moment to record levels as far as troughs go over the last decade for new building starts,” Mr Armitage said.

He said significant statewide planning issues were adding to the reduced demand for tradies in metropolitan regions which has had a flow on effect with apprentice uptakes.

“Even though trades demand is quite high in regional New South Wales, including the Coffs Coast, what we’re hearing on the ground is that builders are a bit hesitant to put on apprentices because their pipelines for the year ahead are not certain for two reasons,” he said.

“One is a lot of them have jobs stuck in council so they’re either waiting for a DA or a construction certificate and it’s taking a lot longer than expected.”

Anton Lipinski has loved carpentry since he was 14 and has enjoyed the variety of jobs he’s worked on in Coffs Harbour.

This challenge is being echoed on the ground, with one recently qualified Coffs Harbour carpenter Anton Lipinski, sharing that he has only worked on just one new build in the past five years.

“The work I’ve done has been mostly concrete repair work, some commercial roofing jobs, residential renovations, a few larger ones but mostly smaller ones,” Mr Lipinski said.

Despite the challenges, one local business is marking its 40th anniversary in the trades industry and is committed to fostering the next generation of tradespeople.

Faircloth & Reynolds, established in Coffs Harbour in 1984, are preparing to launch their largest-ever recruitment of apprentices — 30 in 2025 in electrical, refrigeration and air conditioning and sheet metal fabrication.

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