Philippines–Australia construction recruitment

Start from the manning schedule, not the job ad

Construction recruitment from the Philippines works when it is planned like a programme: which trades, how many, which month on site, which occupation codes, which of them need a skills assessment before the visa, which are licensed. We map your manning schedule to Australian occupation codes first — and tell you at that stage which roles (concreters, plant operators, labourers) are not on the Core Skills Occupation List and need a regional agreement or cannot be filled from the Philippines.

The sequence

• Weeks 0–2 — brief, occupation mapping, feasibility, sponsor status; labour-market advertising starts.
• Weeks 1–4 — sourcing and trade tests in Manila to your standards (set-out, finish, pipework, electrical); your site managers interview live online.
• Weeks 4–8 — nominations lodged after the labour-market-testing period; TRA evidence files for carpenters and electricians submitted; MWO Canberra verification and DMW job order.
• Months 3–8 — skills assessments, visa grants, contract verification, medical, pre-departure orientation, Overseas Employment Certificate; mobilisation in waves matched to site start dates.
• On site — licensed trades work supervised until state licences are issued; second waves reuse the verified file.

What we take off your desk

Sourcing, testing and interviews in Manila; the skills-assessment files; the whole Philippine compliance chain; candidate briefing on site, roster and climate; travel coordination. What stays with you: the sponsorship, the nomination and the employment contract — because you are the employer. Everything here is subject to applicable Australian skills assessment, licensing, occupation and visa requirements.

Frequently asked questions

• Can we bring a crew in waves?

  Yes — most construction clients mobilise in waves matched to the programme; the job order and verified employer file are reused for each wave.

• How do you handle licensed trades?

  We plan the supervised period and the licensing route (OTSR, provisional licence, gap training) into the manning schedule with you before recruiting.

• What if half our roles are labourers and operators?

  We tell you at feasibility which roles are not on the Core Skills list and whether a DAMA in your region provides for them; we do not recruit for roles that cannot be sponsored.