Pressure continues to mount for UK’s trades community

​​​​​​​Order books are fairly busy, but financial anxiety and mental health pressures are rising among UK tradespeople

The construction industry might look busy, but UK tradespeople report that pressure is mounting, according to new data from TradeBrain and On The Tools.

The study shows a growing gap between how the industry is talked about and how it actually feels to work in it.

Jobs are coming in. Day rates haven’t collapsed. Yet financial uncertainty and mental strain are rising fast.

The TradeBrain Q4 report for 2025, based on responses from 2,080 UK tradespeople, shows the industry running flat out while confidence in security, margins and wellbeing slips.

Almost four in ten tradespeople say stress or difficulty switching off is likely to affect them. Nearly a third are worried about low mood or mental health issues.

Both figures are higher than last quarter. That pressure isn’t coming from a lack of work. It’s coming from financial uncertainty.

Almost 30% of tradespeople don’t know what their next job will actually be worth, making it harder to plan, invest or say no to risky work.

Day rates are holding steady (most charge between £150 and £249 per day), but rising material costs and irregular workloads mean annual incomes remain flat.

Material and tool costs are now squeezing nearly two-thirds of the trade, while late payments, tool theft and being undercut are eating away at already thin margins.

The data also shows behaviour shifting. Tradespeople are being extra careful with spending, spreading purchases across multiple merchants and placing more weight on quality, guarantees and service – not just price. In short, the sector isn’t collapsing. But it is under strain.

The report suggests that growth on paper doesn’t automatically translate into confidence within the trade.

Without better margins, clearer visibility of job values and stronger support for mental health, “busy” risks becoming the new normal – without the security tradespeople need to sustain it.