Economics
A $55 Billion Boom in Australian Construction Lacks One Thing
- Dearth of tunnel experts, engineers threatens to bloat costs
- Salini Impregilo says “there is a shortage in all sectors”
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A labor shortage has struck Australia’s A$75 billion ($55 billion) infrastructure spending spree, threatening to bloat project costs in a bidding war for tunneling specialists and engineers.
Australia is 20 percent to 30 percent short of the skilled labor required for the raft of roads, metros and railways being rolled out nationwide, said Salini Impregilo SpA, the Italian company working on the airport rail link in Perth, Western Australia, and vying for almost A$15 billion of other projects across the country.