The On The Tools: Closing the Gap white paper found that one in two tradespeople feel they don’t have enough colleagues to support them.

This indicates that although new openings for construction-based employment may become available through the new Spring Budget, there may be a lack of support to train new employees efficiently.

However, a smaller number of tradespeople (18% of those surveyed by On The Tools) do feel optimistic about the new budget’s ability to tackle industry issues. The data shows an overall mistrust and negative perception regarding the recent announcement.

Many tradespeople do not see how top-level announcements relate to their day-to-day work, proving that huge national announcements, especially in the construction sector, will fail to achieve success if tangible change isn’t delivered at ground level.

A lack of clarity about how the funding will trickle down to those on site seems to be one of the key factors causing scepticism in tradespeople, creating a sense that the Spring Budget doesn’t adequately respond to the urgent realities of working in the trade.

The report also included testimonies surrounding the Spring Budget 2025 budget from tradespeople such as landscaper Tom Windle: “I don’t think the new budget will have any impact on self-employed tradespeople like myself.

“The skills gap won’t be solved immediately, and it won’t be for a very long time, because there’s still nothing done at a grassroots level in schools and colleges. I’m a landscaper, and there are no courses for what we do.

“Honestly, I believe the additional budget will feed the big corporations, help them to tick their boxes, and keep the government funding them. I don’t think self-employed workers will see any difference.