Queensland is set to face a shortage of almost 50,000 workers as the state ramps up construction on stadiums and infrastructure for the 2032 Olympics, an industry leader has warned

And several actions are needed to address program delivery challenges.

In the leadup to the release of his firm’s ‘From vision to legacy: a game plan for Brisbane 2032 and beyond’ report, WT Queensland State Lead Jack Shelley conducted an interview with Sourceable.

During the interview, Shelley outlined actions which are needed to ensure successful delivery of Games infrastructure and legacy outcomes.

He said that the importance of this should not be underestimated.

“Brisbane 2032 is not just a global sporting event – it’s a macroeconomic inflection point for Queensland,” Shelley said in a statement which accompanied the report’s release.

“The volume of concurrent projects is unprecedented. Without early planning and targeted workforce strategies, the risks of delivery delays, cost escalation and lost legacy benefits increase significantly.”

Shelley’s comments come as WT has released the aforementioned report.

The report identifies challenges in delivering the Games’ infrastructure along with 26 actions which are needed to address these.

It comes as the state is undertaking a massive building program to prepare for the Games.

This includes delivery of 17 new and upgraded stadiums as well as major transport upgrades, athlete villages that will become residential suburbs after the Games and improvements to regional facilities.

This program comes as Australia more generally is facing significant construction capacity challenges as it works through a large pipeline of transport, energy and data centre developments as well as a growing number of new housing projects.

The report warns that the Olympic building program faces challenges in terms of labour shortages and cost pressures.

Regarding the first issue, WT forecasts that Queensland will have a construction worker shortage of 27,200 across 2026/27.

By 2028/29, this will rise to 46,000.

Regarding costs. WT forecasts that rates of escalation will accelerate from already elevated levels over coming years (see chart).

(source: From vision to legacy: a game plan for Brisbane 2032 and beyond, WT Feb 2026) 

Serious consequences

According to Shelley, effective program management is critical for several reasons.

“At one level, we are facing a fixed deadline, an unprecedented pipeline and projects are competing for the same materials and equipment,” he said.

“But there’s a deeper issue and that’s the control piece that sits alongside this.

“If labour shortages and cost pressures are not actively managed, Queensland risks losing control over multiple factors including cost certainty, delivery confidence and legacy value.

“And what I mean by those three, in terms of cost certainty, when we’re in a constrained market, scarcity drives up unit rates, risk premiums and contingency allowances. That has a massive impact on the on the viability of projects and means that you’re often paying more for less.

“The second one is delivery confidence. So again, (this is about) labour scarcity. It doesn’t just slow projects down, it destabilises them because productivity drops, interfaces tighten, rework increases and program flow disappears. So right when scrutiny is at its peak, essentially, you’ve got a compromised outcome.

“And the third part is legacy value. Ultimately, this is what the Games have been bid upon and is the key takeaway regarding how we leave lasting value for Brisbane. When pressure peaks late, long-term value drops off (in terms of delivery priority). It is the first casualty.

“So we need to look at how flexibility is lost, life cycle performance suffers and then the host city – Brisbane in this case – ends up with a white elephant that potentially could be very costly to retrofit.

“The important thing with all of this is that Queensland can deliver these Games on time, but they need to take into account those key controls and have a firm handle on them.”

(image source: as above)

Two myths

According to Shelley, misconceptions surrounding Games infrastructure delivery revolve around two areas.

First, there are ideas that speeding up delivery necessary costs more.

This, Shelley says, is not necessarily the case.

In fact, several measures which can improve delivery times can also help to minimise costs.

These include careful discipline regarding project scope along with the effective use of modern methods of construction (such as modularisation, smarter procurement or implementation of early works packages).

The second misconception involves ideas that risk is primarily concentrated around the stadiums themselves.

Whilst these are highly visible, risks also extend to supporting infrastructure such as transport, utilities and interfacing and enabling works.

These are complex areas that often require multiple work packages and agencies.

They are interdependent with the venues and are critical to Games delivery.

Which workers will be in biggest shortage?

Asked about specific occupations where the biggest shortages are likely, Shelley stresses the need to consider the broader infrastructure pipeline.

At a trades level, he says that mechanical and hydraulic trades are already under pressure whilst crane crews, piling specialists and tunnelling teams are going to be under pressure.

Shortages of supervisors and forepersons are already evident.

Turning to the professional level, shortages are likely to be evident for quantity surveyors and commercial managers who have mega project experience along with planners, engineers (particularly in transport), project controllers and construction managers.

(Project controllers and construction managers are among the many occupations that will be in shortage during Queensland’s Olympic building program. Image via freepix)

Better productivity needed

According to the report, a critical challenge involves boosting productivity.

Based on historic and recent data, WT says that some construction projects achieve effective productivity of only 2.5 days per week for each worker.

This is the result of delays caused by factors such a weather, site access, permits, rework for immature design, labour availability, and roster inefficiencies.

Root causes can include overlapping programs, design decisions, inadequate sequencing or packaging of works, a failure to adequately consider the constructability of jobs, fragmented project governance and procurement models which are not adequately aligned with risk profiles.

He says that the solution lies not in working harder but rather designing projects in a manner which is constructible and aligning this with current market conditions and labour availability.

Three key actions

In its report, WT recommends 26 actions.

Of these, Shelley says that three stand out.

These are:

• Early clarification and lockdown of project scope. This involves locking down the scope early on in projects and applying a disciplined and controlled approach toward any changes.
• Effective project sequencing and packaging. This involves adopting a program wide approach and ensuring that tasks are effectively sequenced and coordinated.
• Aligning productivity with procurement by including productivity expectations and realistic allocations of risk into standard contract terms.

On the last point, Shelley says that standardised templates which have been issued under the Queensland Procurement Policy 2026 will be particularly useful.

(Jack Shelly, image: supplied)

Not whether we can, but how well we do it

In conclusion, Shelley says that the focus needs to revolve around how well the delivery program is managed.

“It’s not a question of whether we can deliver the games with what we’ve got,” he said.

“Rather, it’s whether we deliver them with control, with confidence and whether we produce that enduring value at the end.”