66 per cent of UK Trades Will Have To Cancel Work Due To Workforce Shortages This Year
Posted by: electime 14th August 2023
- New research reveals workforce shortages are crippling the trades industry
- Brexit and a lack of young people getting into the industry are key factors contributing to the shortages
- Plasterers, handypeople and builders have been the hardest hit by the labour shortages
- Adnan Boodoo, a gas engineer apprentice, shares his experience of getting into the industry and calls on schools to introduce more young people to vocational careers
New research from leading UK find-a-tradesperson platform, Rated People has revealed the impact of labour shortages on the construction industry in 2023. Almost two in three (63 per cent) UK trades say they’re struggling with workforce shortages this year and 66 per cent say they are having to cancel work as a result.
Workforce Shortages in 2023
To discover the effect of the skills gap on the industry, Rated People interviewed more than 2,000 tradespeople and homeowners across the UK. The study reveals plasterers, handypeople and builders are the top three trades that have been the most affected by workforce shortages.
In 2022, more than nine in 10 (93 per cent) plasterers and renderers said a lack of skilled labour negatively affected their business. Similarly, 89 per cent of handypeople said labour shortages impacted their business and 68 per cent of builders couldn’t find enough workers.
More than half of bathroom fitters, painters and decorators, and gardeners and landscape gardeners also reported experiencing issues with labour shortages.
Top 10 Trades That Experienced Workforce Shortages in 2022
| Rank | Trade | per cent Experienced Workforce Shortages in 2022 |
| 1 | Plasterer/renderer | 93 |
| 2 | Handyperson | 89 |
| 3 | Builder | 68 |
| 4 | Gardener/landscape gardener | 64 |
| 5 | Painter and decorator | 53 |
| 6 | Bathroom fitter | 50 |
| 7 | Electrician | 49 |
| 8 | Roofer | 48 |
| 9 | Plumber | 38 |
| 10 | Carpenter/Joiner | 33 |
What’s causing labour shortages in the trades
The 2023 Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report discovered that tradespeople think the main driving force behind the workforce shortage is a lack of workers with adequate training or experience.
One of the biggest reasons for the scarcity of skilled workers over the past couple of years is the impact of Brexit – this has prevented many highly-skilled tradespeople from having working rights in the UK and it has also meant many people working in the industry decided to leave the UK.
UK tradespeople cite a lack of young people getting into the industry as the second-largest contributing factor to the current shortages, whilst careers advice at school failing to advocate for trades was specifically named by one in eight (12 per cent) tradespeople.
Top Reasons Tradespeople Believe There Are Workforce Shortages
| Rank | Reason | per cent of tradespeople who said this reason was causing workforce shortages |
| 1 | Lack of skilled/experienced workers | 31 |
| 2 | Fewer people getting into the trades industry | 19 |
| 3 | Loss of staff due to Brexit | 18 |
| 4 | Poor careers advice at school failing to advocate the trades industry | 12 |
Encouraging more young people into the industry
The trades platform is calling on the Government to do more to plug the labour shortage gap and it says more needs to be done to encourage young people into the industry.
As part of the research, Rated People discovered 48 per cent of UK adults weren’t offered a trade career as a job option in careers advice when they were at school. Despite the UK government rolling out T-Levels to encourage more young people into apprenticeships, fewer than 10,000 students enrolled on a T-Level course last year.
Opportunities in the industry
Rated People hopes its latest research will help to promote the incredible benefits of working in a trade profession, including high earnings, low stress and a strong work-life balance.
Rated People spoke to sole traders about how much they earn and the results illustrate how lucrative the industry can be. On average, sole traders are making £43,561 a year, which is a considerable amount more than the national annual average of £27,756 (almost £16,000 more).
One in four (27 per cent) of the sole traders said they make more than £50,000 a year and 10 per cent make over £75,000.
Nine in 10 (89 per cent) tradespeople also say they love their job and feel happy at work and 62 per cent say they have never felt work-related stress.
Trades With The Biggest Opportunities
For those who are interested in starting a career as a tradesperson, whether straight from education or if they are thinking of switching from their current role to one within the trades industry, Rated People analysed their internal data to see which trades have seen the biggest rise in demand from UK homeowners over the past two years.
In the last two years, demand for certain trades has almost doubled; locksmiths saw the greatest demand increase with leads and enquiries increasing by almost 90% since 2020. Demand for driveway pavers increased by two-thirds, followed by stonemasons who saw a 53 per cent spike in enquiries.
Top 10 Trades With The Biggest Opportunities
|
Rank |
Trade |
per cent Increase In Leads/Enquiries Compared to 2020 |
| 1 | Locksmith | 87 |
| 2 | Driveway paver | 66 |
| 3 | Stonemason/stoneworker | 53 |
| 4 | Cleaner | 46 |
| 5 | Painter and decorator | 46 |
| 6 | Bathroom fitter | 44 |
| 7 | Kitchen specialist | 42 |
| 8 | Roofer | 39 |
| 9 | Plumber | 36 |
| 10 | Specialist tradesperson | 35 |
Adnan Boodoo, an apprentice at Inhouse Heating & Plumbing, says:
“I wasn’t offered a trade job in school; I think it’s because there’s negative stereotypes around trade jobs that they’re tiring manual jobs and they don’t pay well. When the reality is you can earn loads in trade jobs. It was only after I went to college that I became aware of the opportunities available and I’m so glad I got this insight.”
When it comes to trying to get more young people into the trades, Adnan says “I feel like they should promote it more in schools and maybe allow people to do work experience or have career events in schools. Even things like workshops, where it might spark some interest. People just need to be made aware that there are other options”.
