Tradespeople struggle to keep up with demand: Screwfix survey
Posted: Monday, September 9th, 2024
UK tradespeople are calling for the new Government to make a more precise plan aimed at supporting more people in the construction industry and upskilling existing staff, Furniture Production reported. Screwfix surveyed more than 1,000 UK tradespeople about life in the trade, their key challenges and opportunities as the construction industry faces its ongoing skills shortage. While 75% of those surveyed said they have work planned for the next six months, only 3.7% of sole traders and 19% of SME firms (those with 2-5 staff) could take on an apprentice in the last year. Meanwhile, tradespeople are struggling to keep up with demand. Most will spend four months of the year working more than five days a week, and 69% feel they have no one to hand their business over to after retirement. 42% of those over 65 say they will never retire or do not know when they’ll be able to. Almost two-thirds (60%) stated that the pressures of increased tax and business regulations were their primary concern and a key barrier to achieving their business objectives. A further 58% highlighted the lack of skilled labour available in construction as a key challenge and necessary policy area for the new Government to focus on as it seeks to propel the UK’s economic growth. Regarding skills, the majority (92%) believe more needs to be done within schools to encourage young people into the trades. In comparison, 30% responded that there are no significant initiatives in their region to promote trade careers.
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