"From big to small jobs, everyone is waiting for planning permissions in high-rise projects. Many people in the business are being forced to take on jobs that are not their usual 'bread and butter'. This is making the market a more difficult place to navigate, Jon claims on The Plastering Show.

He explains how the government has created new legislation in the industry, which means projects over 18 storeys must undergo "gateways and be fully designed" before work can start.

"This is time-consuming. Construction projects worth £15-25 billion are currently stuck in gateways," Jon notes.

He adds that 6-7% of that value is drylining, plastering and SFS. "There is approximately £125-160 million worth of work that our trade could be doing, but isn't."

This is pushing plastering businesses to seek jobs in sectors unrelated to construction. "Everyone has bills to pay and needs consistent work. Although the type of work differs, the skill sets are the same."

He also points out that interest rates are still "quite high," and everyone in construction is waiting for the building safety inspectors to unblock the "cork in the bottle." 

In closing, Jon says that the rest of 2025 will remain "very" competitive for the industry. "People will continue to work slightly farther away from where they would or take on jobs they might not have necessarily chosen to."

Listen to the full podcast here.