Garima Sinha 
Australia’s infrastructure landscape is shifting fast, driven by new investment trends, emerging asset classes and growing capacity constraints. This outlook explores the major changes ahead and what industry and government must do to navigate the decade effectively.
Global tradeflows remain under pressure despite easing tariff tensions. Recent US–China agreements reduce select import taxes and support China’s 2026 outlook, yet US imports continue to fall and supply chains pivot toward Asia and Europe. Containerised trade is set to expand, while bulk shipments soften alongside weaker industrial demand.
Australia’s construction sector is entering a defining decade. At the Australian Construction Outlook Conference 2025, Oxford Economics Australia explored the transformative trends shaping growth to 2030 – from AI-driven data centers and electrification projects to government-funded infrastructure and rising demand for social and retirement living.
Economic Outlook Conference 2025 brought together business leaders and policymakers in Sydney & Melbourne where Oxford Economics Australia shared key insights on tariffs, investment, productivity, and sectoral trends shaping the nation’s economic outlook.
In a rapidly evolving global trade environment, businesses must stay ahead of changing tariffs and regulatory demands. Our latest blog offers practical guidance on navigating tariffs, understanding key trade strategies, and leveraging accurate HS code classifications to optimize your supply chain. Explore essential insights that will help your business manage trade uncertainty, ensure compliance, and unlock new growth opportunities.
Amid ongoing global trade uncertainty, business leaders are struggling to plan ahead as new tariffs continue to reshape the market. Even so-called “locked-in” tariffs are proving to be temporary, adding to the unpredictability. Firms are cautious, waiting for clarity before committing to major investments. As global trade volumes decline, the importance of understanding every relevant trade tariff and accurately applying the correct HS code to imported goods becomes even more critical for managing costs and compliance.
Oxford Economics Australia delivered updated workforce demand forecasts and capability gap modelling using the latest national infrastructure data, equipping Austroads members with interactive dashboards and forward-looking analysis to inform policy and workforce planning.
Oxford Economics, a global leader in economic forecasting and data analytics, has announced the launch of its TradePrism platform on Snowflake Marketplace, enabling businesses to seamlessly access and integrate trade data and forecasts into their operations in near real-time.
Oxford Economics Australia delivered the foundational labour market modelling for BuildSkills Australia’s 2024 Workforce Plan, quantifying future workforce demand across the construction, property, and water sectors.
Housing will be a key battleground in May’s Federal Election, with both the incumbent Labor Government (ALP) and the Coalition (LNP) firming their stances in recent days.
Research Briefing Australia Faces Election risk, but migration stabilisation on track
Following last October’s election, a second review into 2032 Brisbane Olympics venues was undertaken. The Crisafulli government has now revealed a third and hopefully final venues plan, under which total direct investment should eclipse $10 billion, including related developments (e.g. athletes villages).
Although growth has slowed, rising construction work this decade requires a laser-like focus on improving productivity and skills accumulation
We’ve upgraded our 2025 GDP growth forecast for Australia by 0.2ppts to 2.1%. Growth in 2024 was in line with our forecast at 1%, but the economy carried a little more momentum into the end of 2024 than we had expected.
It’s a cliché to say we live in troubled times. Mid-way through the third decade of the 21st century. Let’s take stock of how the last 25 years have panned out.
Major Australian corporates face a new reality. Not only is climate change here but so – as from the start of this year – are new sustainability reporting standards.
It was fantastic to welcome our esteemed clients and guests to our economic forecasting conference in Sydney, Melbourne and online.
It was fantastic to welcome our esteemed clients and guests to our construction conference in Sydney, Melbourne and online.
The RBA has changed its policy rate for the first time since November 2023, cutting the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1%.
Headline engineering construction work done rose 6.6% year-on-year to $34.4bn over the September 2024 quarter, driven by strong growth in electricity and water activity.
