A Sydney butcher offering a $130,000 job says he’s been flooded with more than 140 applications — none of them from Australia, and not one with the right qualifications — sounding the alarm on the country’s deepening skilled trades shortage.
Clayton Wright, 66, a fourth-generation butcher and owner of Alexandria’s Clover Valley Meat Company, told news.com.au he’s now facing a “perfect storm” — rising wage and superannuation costs, cost-of-living pressures, and a dire lack of qualified local tradespeople. “It’s not about the money,” Wright said.
“We’ve had a decades-long drain on people not picking up the trade, and now we’re suffering the consequences.”
Despite spending $1,100 a month advertising the position, Wright has received only overseas applications — mostly from countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and South America — many with limited English and few relevant skills.
“They all want sponsorship. But how can I train someone who’s never held a knife?”
Business NSW told news.com.au that Wright’s experience is “not an isolated case” and warns the skills crisis has moved beyond a hiring problem to become an “economic threat”.
“There’s no silver bullet,” said Business NSW CEO Daniel Hunter.
“We need a three-pronged approach — invest in training, bring older Australians back into the workforce, and align migration settings with industry needs.”
Business NSW is calling on the federal government to double the Work Bonus for pensioners, improve vocational pathways, and reconsider caps on international students.
The group’s 2024 State of Skills report paints a grim picture:
- 77% of employers report difficulty finding suitable staff
- 80% have increased wages or conditions to attract workers
- 36% have postponed growth plans due to hiring roadblocks
- 27% have lost business to competitors
Regional employers are even worse off, with 80% struggling to hire and many resorting to contractors or putting in extra hours themselves.
Wright says the root of the crisis lies in decades of pushing school leavers into university instead of trades. “Back in the day, fourth-form leavers became plumbers and electricians,” he said.
“Now they’re stuck in degrees not worth the paper they’re written on.”
It is reported that with apprentice numbers falling — an 8.3% national decline last year — the pool of home-grown trades talent is shrinking fast.
Wright says despite trade award wages starting around $55,000, many butchers earn two to three times that. “A butcher working 55–60 hours a week can take home $2,000.” He believes long-term change must begin in schools.
“We need to rebrand trades. There’s money, stability, and pride in the work. We’re not just cutting meat — we’re feeding Australia.”
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