I know you mean well and I'm not having a go at you but your info is incorrect mate.
I am a sub-contract carpenter and they are not in short supply.
I am fortunate in that I'm very experienced, have good contacts and have plenty of work.
But the industry has dramatically slowed up.I have had 3 mates this week alone asking me if I can fix them up.That was 2 chippies and a bricklayer.
A friend of mine who is a contract manager with a high volume builder laid off 10 supervisors a couple of months ago.There is work if your in the know but there is no longer a shortage of tradesmen.There hasn't been for a long time.Not in the West anyway.The rates have been consistently cut over the last several years.Last Wednesday we had a meeting at the office and I was told that the brickie rate was being dropped to 80c a brick as of Monday.A fix for a carpenter is worth 5 to 6 dollars a metre.I was getting $8.50 ten years ago.There is a whole load of **** going down at the minute because of a massive influx of new labour from overseas undercutting the locals.If you think the quality is bad now just wait and see.
I know you do the owner builder thing but you're not out there on the tools and as such you're not giving qualified information.
I realise I've made an assumption in saying you are not on the tools or a tradesman.If I'm wrong I apologise but if you are you're working in a very different industry to me.
Re: bad tradesmen.I know they're out there.I spend most of my time fixing the cock ups but there are plenty of good one's too.
I tend to be a bit overprotective to chippies because I went through the experience of being told by a relative who isn't in the industry 'come over here there's loads of work' This was pre internet. It was 1989 and there was no work at all.I ended up labouring in a factory with 2 chippies,a plumber,a welder and a fireman.All poms.I didn't get back on the tools for about 7 years and I had to move from Perth to Melbourne to do it.That said. I'm off to price a job. I'm not having a go at you Buzzy. Cheers.