The study, by IronmongeryDirect, asked UK tradespeople about their level of job satisfaction and found that 56 per cent are happy with their careers, compared to just 37 per cent across all industries.

Additionally, nearly half (47 per cent) of tradespeople are proud of the work they do and around a third say they are happy with both their work-life balance (32 per cent) and level of income (31 per cent).

Tradies were also asked exactly which parts of their work they find the most enjoyable. The most popular answer was interaction with customers (22 per cent), while the ability to continually learn on the job also ranked highly (21 per cent).

The top five things tradespeople enjoy about their work are:

• Interacting with customers – 22 per cent
• Learning something new – 21 per cent
• Working outdoors – 20 per cent 
• Job variety – 20 per cent 
• Seeing visible accomplishments each day – 19 per cent 

When it comes to individual trades, bricklayers are the most likely tradespeople to say they enjoy their job (69 per cent), but interestingly are also the least likely to feel proud of their work (19 per cent).

Electricians (63 per cent) and plumbers (61 per cent) also have high job satisfaction, while at the other end of the table, building surveyors are the least likely tradespeople to enjoy their work (43 per cent).

Painters and decorators and electricians are the most likely tradies to feel a sense of pride about their work (58 per cent).

Trade                   I enjoy my job (per cent)             I’m proud of my work (per cent)

1.               Bricklayer                        69                                                    19
2.               Electrician                       63                                                     58
3.                Plumber                          61                                                    44
4.               Painter and Decorator      60                                                    58
5.               Scaffolder                         60                                                    40
6.               Builder                              58                                                    45
7.               Landscaper                       57                                                    56
8.               Roofer                               54                                                    23
9.               Plasterer                           46                                                    39
10.               Carpenter                          45                                                    43
11.               Joiner                                44                                                    33
12.               Building Surveyor             43                                                     45

 Millennial tradespeople are the least likely to enjoy their job, with only 43 per cent stating that they like their work, whilst those over the age of 65 have the greatest career satisfaction (69 per cent).

More men said they enjoy their job (60 per cent) than women (50 per cent), but women are more likely to be proud of their work (51 per cent vs 45 per cent).