The ongoing skills shortages in trades won’t be news to you. This topic has been covered extensively in the UK trades press, and we’ve talked about it a fair bit here at Rhino, too. Let’s take a look at how the situation currently stands, and where the most significant skills gaps currently lie.
In the UK, there is a long-running shortage of skilled tradespeople. Overall, there is a high demand for skilled tradesmen and women, and businesses are experiencing an ongoing challenge in finding qualified workers. This is technically a good thing for a tradesperson who may be finding themselves in high demand, but if you’re in charge of recruiting a team to deliver a construction project, you may be feeling the frustration.
We’ll go into the ‘why’ in more detail below, but for now let’s take a look at the most in-demand trades in the UK and where the skills shortage is most prevalent.
According to recent research conducted by Metals4U, here are the most in-demand trades for 2024.
#1 Builders
The construction industry continues to grow, and with Labour’s pledge of 1.5million new homes during their five-year term, this doesn’t look set to change any time soon. There was a staggering 41,505 active vacancies for builders across job websites at the end of last year – clearly demonstrating the need for more resource in the construction industry for the foreseeable future.
#2 Electricians
In our increasingly tech-driven society, electricians have never been more in-demand. Whether it’s installing a smart doorbell system, setting up a solar panel or wiring a new build house, a qualified, experienced sparky is required. At the time of conducting the research, there were 9,365 vacancies for electricians live across popular job websites. The demand for electricians far outstrips the supply, making them the trade experiencing the second greatest shortage in 2024.
#3 Gas engineers
Apparently, there’s around 23 million homes with gas boilers in the UK. The UK winter is not a good time to find yourself without a working boiler, which means that when a cold snap hits, the gas engineer finds themselves very popular. Training to become a gas engineer is quite intense and it’s not a job you can get just anybody to do, which is why with so many journeyman gas engineers retiring out of the game, the trade is the third most in-demand.
#4 Flooring contractors
A significant increase in construction means an increase in demand for trades like flooring contractor. With 6,081 job vacancies across job sites at the end of last year, it’s a hot trade with plenty of demand thanks to the booming construction industry. Apparently, the need is greatest in London, so flooring contractors in London may find themselves naming their price.
#5 Carpenters
Did someone say home improvement? The UK has got the renovation bug, with kitchens, bookshelves, stairs and new walls going up at a rapid rate. There was a huge surge of home improvements after the Covid lockdowns of 2020, with the trend continuing since then. Repairs and renovations are a carpenter’s bread and butter. A carpenter needs to have demonstrable skills are the ability to listen to a customer, so it stands to reason that a good carpenter will always be in demand.
#6 Plumbers
When new houses are built, someone’s got to lay the pipes. Not only this, but the UK’s unpredictable weather and millions of older properties mean a plumber’s work is never done. The plumbing industry skills gap makes plumbing among the top construction industry skill gaps. According to the UK Trade Skills Index 2023, the construction sector needs over 70,000 new plumber recruits by 2032 to meet growing demand.
#7 Joiners
Much like carpenters, the construction industry is struggling to attract and retain skilled joiners. With older joiners retiring, not to mention post-Brexit effects making UK work a less attractive option for EU-based talent, there’s a resulting skills gap. With 3,865 vacancies at the end of 2023, this is obviously a good time for a skilled joiner to strike while the iron is hot.
#8 Window Cleaners
Window cleaners are also a trade experiencing a high demand at the moment. Is it because more people are working from home and are fed up of staring out of dirty, smeared windows all day? Whatever the reason, there is a shortage of window cleaners to fill this demand, so the UK’s homes and businesses are always looking for a reliable window cleaner to come on a regular schedule.
#9 Painters
With many painter and decorators having already passed their 50th birthday, there is a dire shortage of new blood in this trade. With the trend for home improvement we previously mentioned, it’s not a surprise that people are crying out for good painters to work in their homes – not to mention to join construction crews getting new homes and flats into shape before they’re passed to their new owners.
#10 Roofers
In at number 10, roofers are in high demand thanks to construction industry boom and rolling our of energy-efficient upgrades, which includes private dwellings plus commercial projects like new warehouses and industrial units, as well as shopping centres. Further, more time spent at home since Covid-19 may have driven up people’s desire to get their roof in good shape.
The potential reasons contributing to the ongoing skill shortages in the trades sector include:
Trades such as joiners, painter and decorators and carpenters are full of older, time-served tradesmen. This is a wonderful thing until you realise that they are gradually hanging up their tools for a life of leisure and there may not be the talent coming through to fill their shoes.
Where are the budding joiners, painters and carpenters? Did they all go to university and accrue a huge debt? Are they pulling pints in their local? Or did they become wannabe crypto kings? Whatever the reality, a job in trades is a job for life, and if you’ve got your head screwed on then there’s great money to be made. Until more people realise the value and job security in trades roles, the skills gap will continue to widen.
Many moons ago, there were polytechnics up and down the land for the purpose of applied education in areas like engineering. In 1992 they were rebranded as universities, and the rest is history. Well, not quite. There are plenty of institutions offering vocational courses and qualifications for the skilled trades here in the UK, but they may not be being promoted adequately. Apprenticeships – always a traditional route for skilled tradespeople to break into the business – are also at an all-time-low.
After Brexit, the already looming skills shortage became much more serious as skilled tradesmen and women from countries like Poland and other EU countries saw an end to the ‘free movement’ deal and returned home.
During Covid, the trades were affected and the construction industry all but ground to a halt. Things have picked up again now, but the effect of lockdowns, travel restrictions, uncertain finances and global supply chain disruption have caused skilled tradespeople to pick up another profession in the interim.
So, what does it all mean?
The skills shortage means that infrastructure development is slowing, and the ambitious Labour housing targets will be tough to meet. Cancelled projects and sluggish timelines mean the rate of industry growth will be slower.
If you’re a self-employed tradesperson, this is technically a good thing. Fewer skilled workers means you’re in higher demand, so in theory you can make more money. However, if you’re trying to get a skilled team together to deliver a construction project, it’s bad news as it means that labour costs are higher, and the actual workforce may offer slim pickings.
In the UK, the skills shortage in the construction industry is a big deal. It means that some areas will see a slower economic growth, with reduced foreign investment into contracting firms. The shortage is having an impact on businesses and the broader economy, too.
So – what to do?
Potential solutions to address the skills shortage in the UK trades include:
Today’s apprentices are tomorrow’s master craftsmen and women. Apprenticeships are a great way to get young people skilled up in trades, but they have been on the decline in recent years. It’s time to revive this route into the trades! Don’t forget that apprenticeships are mutually beneficial, so if you’re a time-served tradesperson and have the capacity to take on a newbie, you should.
Practical training courses such as Diplomas and NVQs at local colleges and independent courses e.g., Access Training courses are sure-fire routes into the trades for people of all ages.
There are some exciting new initiatives out there for those who want to enter in-demand trades such as gas engineering. The UK government has introduced a £5 million Heat Training Grant to support 10,000 trainees in becoming low-carbon heating experts, including gas engineers, to help meet targets for installing 600,000 new heat pumps per year by 2028.
If you’re working as a tradesperson in the UK at the moment, you’re in high demand. Although the official most in-demand trades are listed above, there are hundreds of others which are experiencing a skills shortage. Turn this to your advantage and negotiate the price you’re worth, but don’t forget that the future depends on the younger generations of tradespeople and investment into the sector.
And don’t forget that Rhino is here by your side. Through our comprehensive cover options, industry insights and exceptional customer service, we will ensure you have the right insurance coverage in place to protect you against potential risks and uncertainties in the industry.
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