Tradies reveal 'deepest confessions' on the job exposing sad industry trend

If you ever wondered what it's like to be a tradie, one bloke is revealing all. Kyle Romaior, an electrician from Queensland, is spilling his colleagues' "deepest, darkest" secrets after setting up a "confessions" box for tradesmen and Aussies can't get enough.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, the 32-year-old admitted guys on the worksite "always have a story or two" which they openly share with the other blokes during their smokos. One day he simply asked them, 'what's the weirdest thing you've done' — and with that "confessions of a tradesman" was born.

Last month, the 32-year-old set up a "confessions" box at his work site in Townsville using a small Esky with a handwritten sign stuck to the front. "I was on a work site one day, and I thought 'I'm just going to put it there and see what happens'," he revealed to Yahoo.

'Confessions of a tradie' TikTok trend

Since then, the electrician has been sharing the bold admissions on social media. "I got one of the stories from one of the tradies on site, and I used that [for my first video]," he said, referring to a video detailing the man's accidental relations with his boss's wife.

He's since been flooded with more tradie confessions online, most of which are, oddly, toilet-related. "It could be clients not letting tradesmen use their toilet, but there's a lot of stories about women not being faithful to their husbands," he admitted.

Romaior said "so many people out there do weird shi*t". "There's years and years of content on funny stories that happens on work sites, I've got some stories myself, but I don't want to say them on a public platform," he admitted.

Aussie tradies are "pretty open" and love "a bit of banter", he added. "I don't think anyone would be surprised with what comes out of tradies' mouths sometimes."

Sad truth behind construction industry revealed

While the confessions are seemingly accurate, at least according to the tradies who share them, Romaior re-writes them for the camera to make it sound "more like a story" for social media. And while most are funny, there's often a sad and sometimes dark undertone to some, he admitted.

He aims to use his social media to "educate people" and show the nation that "tradies aren't as stupid as [some] think".

"I think there's a bit of a stigma around tradies, and I think that a lot of people can talk down to them," he said referring to homeowners requesting work. "At the end of the day, we're building your home. Maybe it's best to respect the people that are putting their skills into your house."

He's also had his fair share of disrespect thrown his way during his time as an electrician — some 14 years. "You just get belittled at a home when the client thinks that they're above you."

• Industry warns of looming Aussie tradie shortage: 'We can't keep up'

• Tradie's grim warning after alarming report on Australian homes

• Tradie left $15,000 in debt from brazen street heist as alarming theory emerges

'More support' in construction industry with better pay

As far as the industry goes, however, Romaior reckons "there's a lot more support in the industry for apprentices" compared to when he was one. They were "regularly mistreated" by the more experienced workers, he said, which resulted in many young men and women "getting turned off trades".

"Having an apprenticeship isn't really a cushiony job. You get yelled at, you get the s**t jobs and the pay is absolutely horrid. But as soon as you see that finish line, the pay just every year goes up and up," he revealed.

Comparing it to a university degree he said "you don't get paid when you study" arguing that, often, tradies could make more money than a uni graduate.

While the average electrician salary is $93,862 per year, with entry-level positions starting off at $78,968 per year and more experienced workers raking in $134,816 per year on average, others have reported salaries of more than $200,000.

For Romaior though, being able to "consistently move around" to different job sites is what he loves most about a trade. "And you have a sense of accomplishment because you get to see construction from start to finish".

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.