Big pay packets and flexible hours are seeing hundreds of young women take up roles at construction sites, forcing a change in the male-dominated industry.
Thanks to the construction boom, more young women are getting their start on work sites.
Among the tradies, the rubble, and the work vans across Sydney are women who are raking the cash in traffic controllers or ‘lollipop ladies’.
Sydney’s traffic controllers have many pedestrians doing a double take as the industry begins to pull a younger crowd
Among the tradies, the rubble, and the work vans are young women who are raking in the cash as ‘lollipop ladies’
Women stand guard along the fenced area on Sydney’s George Street, where hundreds of tradies are working no the light rail network.
Young women on the job
The construction industry in Australia is changing with a growing number of women choosing to pull on their work boots and grab a hard-hat
Working as a traffic controller might not be every girl’s dream but the job is a great way to get your foot in the door, Altus Traffic events general manger Bethany Lilford said.
Ms Lilford began working as a traffic controller when she was studying psychology and needed flexible hours and good pay.
She has worked her way up over the years and now organises major events for the company.
She is encouraging young women to take the plunge and give the job a chance.
‘To anybody that does want to be in the industry, I would tell them not be scared. There is a little bit of a stigma, but that bridge is closing in.’
Dozens of women are standing guard along fenced area on Sydney’s George Street, where hundreds of tradies are working no the light rail network.
The stigma surrounding the construction is disappearing with more women taking the plunge to take home big pay packets
One woman Daily Mail Australia spoke to had ditched her job as a teacher to become a traffic controller
These women are pocketing a hefty pay packet, earning up to $60 an hour depending on the day and the time they work.
One woman Daily Mail Australia spoke to had ditched her job as a teacher to become a traffic controller.
‘I was looking for a change of lifestyle. I was working as a teacher but this pays a lot more.’
One ‘lollipop lady’, Amy Dowsett, has raked in $130,000 a year since joining the trade.
Lollipop ladies’ can rake in up to $130,000 a year if they can score the right job
Traffic control might not be the job young girls dream about but the money is hard to pass up. These women are pocketing a hefty pay packet, earning up to $60 an hour depending on the day and the time they work
Pay varies from state to state but workers can pocket about $26 an hour to $55 an hour depending on the job, according to online job site Indeed. The jobs usually include penalty rates, allowances and superannuation
Traffic control girls spend their days surrounded by dust in work boots and hi-vis but the job is not that bad, they say
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union member earns over $40 an hour and also receives a $45 per day travel allowance and a $22 meal allowance.
Depending on the size of the project, she is also paid a site allowance of between $2.10 and $3.95 per hour.
And if she works more than 10 hours at her Penrith building site, she receives double time.
Pay varies from state to state but workers can pocket about $26 an hour to $55 an hour depending on the job, according to online job site Indeed. The jobs usually include penalty rates, allowances and superannuation.
One job advertisement included a company vehicle.
The salary is justified though, industry insiders say, as traffic controllers have to stand outside in all weather and they generally cop abuse from the public.
A young woman on the job
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union members can earn over $40 an hour and also receive a $45 per day travel allowance and a $22 meal allowance
The salary is justified though, industry insiders say, as traffic controllers have to stand outside in all weather and they generally cop abuse from the public
Women in work boots: Construction sites are evolving with more young women stepping into the roles – and they are doing it in style
Traffic control might not be the job young girls dream about but it is an industry many are being drawn to
Sydney’s traffic controllers have been turning heads as young women taking the roles make the effort to look polished for their day at work