Australia is grappling with a labour shortage that’s only going to get worse in the coming years. In fact, worker shortages are expected to peak at about 300,000 in mid-2027.
Whether you’re working on a large or small infrastructure project, it’s highly likely that you’re already experiencing the effects of this talent crunch.
It puts tremendous pressure on you as you’re expected to complete the project on time, within the stipulated budget. The constant stress of dealing with multiple labour hire agencies and material suppliers eats into precious time that could be allocated toward more productive tasks.
We’ve worked with several project managers and understand exactly how frustrating and challenging the process can become.
What site leadership needs is operational confidence, absolute compliance, and workers who can hit the ground running. Here’s what you should look for in agencies.
How we Scope a Project with You
It’s important to gain a clear understanding of your project requirements before you even kickstart the project. As a project manager, you should know:
The trade specialisations you’ll need to hire, such as plumbing, electrical, and civil works.
Project delivery timelines and how shift patterns are linked to them.
Skill levels for labour.
Project-specific compliance requirements.
When skill and labour gaps could arise.
Having all this information handy helps you choose the right labour hire partner for your requirements well in advance.
It also allows you to avoid a situation where you end up searching for agency partners when the need arises and urgency takes precedence over due diligence and fit.
The Non-Negotiables to Consider Before Choosing a Labour Hire Partner
We’ve worked on over 50+ major projects like the Rail Infrastructure Alliance and SRAPC River Zone and have had a fair opportunity interacting with project and operations managers.
All of them share the same concerns: inconsistent candidate quality, managing multiple suppliers, and agencies loading them up with CVs instead of site-ready workers.
So, when you’re evaluating an agency, you should look beyond capability decks and assess how they perform when schedules compress.
Deployment Speed
Infrastructure projects are highly volatile. There are periods of lull, and then super cycles where activity speeds up to an extent that you need additional hands-on deck. At this point, you’re overloaded with work, and need to scale fast.
The last thing you need is a labour hire partner that goes back and forth for a week before assigning a handful of machine operators to the project. What you need is speed. Agility.
Your partner should be responsive and must have the ability to mobilise as site requirements change.
Industry Depth
Your labour hire partners must possess sufficient experience in the industry you operate in, including civil, rail, and tunnelling sectors. As opposed to generalist agencies, these partners will know exactly what goes into these types of infrastructure projects and can advise you correctly and also source the right workers for those projects.
Rail and tunnelling, in particular, require specific expertise, which would be difficult for a generalist agency to assess. This could result in poor-fit workers and higher turnover.
Compliance Certainty
From the new amendments to the Railway Safety National law to the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025, the agency must keep workers updated with the latest industry norms.
Additionally, they should verify whether each worker sent to the site has the right tickets and safety documentation. For instance, many competencies were discontinued for Safely Access the Rail Corridor (SARC). It’s necessary that the agency only sends workers with verified high-risk tickets.
Else, it could create unnecessary compliance liabilities for the site leadership along with safety hazards.
Reliability Under Pressure
Infrastructure projects come with tight deadlines. And for time-sensitive tasks like immediate concrete lining and maintenance shutdowns, it’s important that the labour hire partner arranges the right talent quickly.
They should have a large network of pre-screened, compliant workers, and must maintain a strong active bench to meet such requirements at a short notice.
Along with rapid worker deployment, they must also be transparent in communicating arrival times without overpromising.
Long-Term Workforce Continuity
When you’re working with multiple labour hire agencies, you end up with a different worker pool for each project. This means you’ve to go through the entire cycle of getting them up to speed with the work.
A revolving-door model destroys site productivity.
You should look for agencies that can provide the same reliable pool of workers for multiple projects. The low turnover means you skip redundant onboarding, preserve site knowledge, and achieve workflow efficiency akin to a permanent team.
Clear Candidate Screening Process
Take a look at the partner’s candidate screening methods. Well-established agencies usually conduct comprehensive checks like trade qualification verification, site safety training, high-risk ticket checks, and reference verification.
Inquire with your partner about the process they use for screening candidates and whether they offer continuous development training to workers.
Ability to Hire Employees
Temporary workers greatly enhance your project outcomes by scaling output. The key advantage is that you save on the costs associated with permanent employment. But what if you’d like to hire a temporary worker?
Look for agencies that give you the flexibility to convert a temporary worker to a permanent employee. Such flexibility can help you tap top vetted talent.
Why the Traditional Agency Model Fails
When you’ve to judge so many parameters before choosing a labour hire agency, it’d make sense to opt for a long-established provider, right? They’ve been in business for a long time and will tick all your boxes.
But here’s what really happens.
During the procurement and tender stage, major agencies roll out their senior directors. They present their capabilities and assure you that their talent pool is second to none.
Then the job starts.
Suddenly, you’re handed off to a junior coordinator handling multiple other clients. And the specialists they promised? They turn into a flurry of resumes from a generic database.
The relationship defaults to transactional.
This traditional model tends to fail because large agencies opt for scale over precision. These agencies may not understand the nuances of a complex rail shutdown or tunnel boring operation.
Large agencies with internal turnover may also result in revolving account lead, which means you’ve to constantly re-explain your project.
And if, for any reason, an unvetted worker arrives on your site, it could lead to compliance breaches.
What a Real Partnership Looks Like
True labour hire agency partnerships are built on your requirements. The agency works as an extension of your business, focusing on project delivery.
They understand that success on a multi-stage civil build comes from consistent site productivity, zero first-day gate turnarounds, and pre-vetted crews that meet compliance requirements.
That’s always been our goal at Connect People.
We’re squarely focused on the demands of civil, rail, tunnelling, energy, water, and telecom industries. Our specialists have a practical understanding of these sectors, which means we can:
Deliver pre-vetted talent, fast. Our team understands the difference between a generic excavator operator and one qualified for trenching in live rail corridors.
Understand your compliance requirements. We follow every new compliance requirement and make sure we only send those workers who tick all the boxes.
Provide workforce continuity. Our crews get long-term project pipelines and genuine support, enabling us to retain high-performing talent.
It’s this model that’s helped us land major projects like Inland Rail - Beveridge to Albury Tranche 2, Melbourne Metro Tunnel, and the restoration of Pyrmont Bridge.
Act Before the Gap Appears
It’s critical to start planning for workforce gaps before your project even begins. That way, you’ll be prepared with a scalable workforce when the need arises.
You’ll avoid a situation where you’ve to settle for a generic agency that sends CVs or unvetted workers your way.
Start planning proactively now so you lock in certainty before the first machine starts rolling.
If you’re gearing up for an upcoming rail project, scaling up tunnelling teams, or taking up large-scale civil works, Connect People provides the industry-ready workforce you need.
Got a project starting in the next 6 months? Let's talk before the labour shortage forces your hand.