As Australia's economy recovers from the economic downturn, attention is turning once again to skills shortages. To gain insights into the labour market for tradespeople, this report investigates changes in supply, demand and how adjustment occurred through the varied economic conditions of the past 20 years. It concludes that there was no overall severe shortage of tradespeople during the recent boom time but that some local labour markets experienced excess supply or demand. Migration (both from overseas and internally) and wage adjustments appear to have been important functions in responding to these conditions. (Contains 14 tables and 16 figures.)