A lack of skilled individuals is engineering jobs and construction jobs poses problems for infrastructure developments in Australia, it has been claimed.

Sir Rod Eddington, chairman of Infrastructure Australia, told a Committee for Economic Development of Australia luncheon that the private sector must shoulder some of the blame for this, AAP reports.

He stated that many firms have cut back on apprenticeships and skills training in the last 20 years and the consequences of this are now being felt across the country.

As a result, skilled workers from abroad are being hired on temporary visas.

"I think there are some real challenges here, not just for the private sector but for governments as well, because where governments decide to build infrastructure, they face the same constraints," Sir Rod said.

A similar picture was painted by the Clarius Skills Index, which showed recently that Australia faces skills shortages in the healthcare, education and engineering sectors over the next 15 years.

Posted by Kate Griffin