How outdoor trades are BOOMING as Australians are forced to stay home due to coronavirus - as one surprising profession tops the list of jobs in high demand
Demand for outdoor tradespeople is surging as a significant number of Australians are forced to stay home.
Melbourne's five million residents have since early August been restricted to within 5km of their house and Victoria's Labor Premier Daniel Andrews is now extending the State of Emergency until November 8.
Social distancing rules in other states have also made going out for entertainment less appealing - making a neat home even more of a priority.
Compared with a year ago, requests for rubbish removals have surged by 168 per cent, data from tradie-matching website serviceseeking.com.au found. Pictured is a hoarder house at Bondi in Sydney's east
Arborists were also popular, with tree and branch-removal demand climbing by 42 per cent
Compared with a year ago, requests for rubbish removals have surged by 168 per cent, data from tradie-matching website serviceseeking.com.au found.
Trades that are hot, and those that are not
Rubbish removal: up 168 per cent
Carpet cleaner: up 80 per cent
Door installer: up 71 per cent
Aborist: up 42 per cent
Roofer: up 23 per cent
Electrician: down three per cent
Plumber: down three per cent
Painter: down 15 per cent
Builder: down 16 per cent
Cleaner: down 24 per cent
Source: ServiceSeeking.com.au data for January to September 2020 compared with the same nine months in 2019
The classified site's chief executive Jeremy Levitt said people trapped at home simply wanted to live in a tidier place.
'Rubbish Removal jobs are growing like crazy - almost tripling year-on-year,' he said.
'People are decluttering and getting rid of junk the more time they spend at home.'
The coronavirus lockdowns have also seen an 80 per cent annual increase in demand for carpet cleaners and a 71 per cent rise in interest for door installers.
Arborists were also popular, with tree and branch-removal demand climbing by 42 per cent.
Roofer roles had risen 23 per cent.
Mr Levitt said outdoor trades were thriving because they were less likely to breach COVID-19 rules.
'Outdoor jobs where trades can socially distance are growing: rubbish removal, door installation, arborists, roofers, gardeners, fencing contractors and handymen,' he said.
Under Melbourne's strict, Stage Four lockdowns, residents are allowed to hire a plumber in an emergency but they can't hire a painter to redecorate their house.
This has contributed to a plunge in quotes for indoor tradies, except carpet cleaning.
Demand for cleaners plunged by 24 per cent when the number of customers seeking quotes between January and September 2020 was compared with the same nine-month period last year.
After a busy period early in 2020, as a result of blocked drains from toilet paper shortages, demand for plumbers fell three per cent.
Roofer roles had risen 23 per cent. Service Seeking chief executive Jeremy Levitt said outdoor trades were thriving because they were less likely to breach COVID-19 rules
The coronavirus lockdowns have also seen a 71 per cent rise in interest for door installers