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Melbourne-headquartered, Chinese-owned John Holland has taken the number one spot for the first time in BCI Central's list of the country's top 50 builders, as measured by the total project value of new construction commencements in 2023.
At $6.8 billion, the total value of John Holland's projects are worth more than the second- and third-placed builders combined with Perth-founded, London-based Multiplex coming in at $2.7 billion and Australian owned, Sydney-based Built with $2.6 billion.
BCI tracks more than 40,000 projects monthly to help produce its BCI Construction League Report, which for the latest edition also saw Sydney-based companies Hindmarsh and FDC making their debuts in the top 10.
"Global economic headwinds in 2023 continued to batter the construction industry due to the usual suspects we have seen post COVID-19 pandemic: escalating construction costs, supply chain disruption and what has emerged as the biggest hurdle contributing to pressure on margins—a skilled labour shortage,” says BCI Central's ANZ research manager Sarah Murphy.
"The 2024 Construction League report highlights those builders who have adeptly navigated risks while spearheading advancements across Australia’s built environment; the top 50 builders commenced construction on a combined $36.1 billion worth of projects.
"Consistent table toppers, Built and Hutchinson Builders have maintained their presence with rankings of 3rd and 7th respectively. Both builders led the League table in the number of projects commencing construction, with Built initiating 102 projects and Hutchinson Builders starting 108."
These two firms dominate the Top 10 in terms of the number of new starts with 210 out of the 372 projects combined amongst the leaderboard. The Top 50 started work on 793 projects.
Murphy says the economic turbulence of the last few years is expected to continue in 2024, but with inflation heading in the right direction and interest rates holding steady, there are positive indicators of economic growth and investment in the building sector.
She also points to support of the industry through the Federal Government’s additional fee-free trade TAFE courses and the National Construction Industry Forum (NCIF), bringing industry stakeholders together to find solutions in several key areas such as training and skills.
Yesterday the Federal Minister for Housing, Julie Collins, revealed the upcoming budget would include a $90.6 million investment to boost the number of skilled workers in the construction and housing sector, to deliver 15,000 fee-free TAFE and VET places over two years from 1 January 2025, and 5,000 places in pre-apprenticeship programs over the same time period.
Australia's Top 10 Builders
- John Holland Group
- Multiplex
- Built
- Icon
- ADCO Constructions
- Hansen Yuncken
- Hutchinson Builders
- Lendlease
- Hindmarsh
- FDC Construction & Fitout
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