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The UK Needs 1.3 Million Skilled Tradespeople To Meet Housing Challenges

Aging Workforce: A significant portion of the current trade workforce is nearing retirement age, leading to a gap in expertise.

Post-pandemic Construction Boom: With the construction sector seeing a boom following the COVID-19 pandemic, more homes, offices, and infrastructure projects are underway, creating a higher demand for skilled trades.

Net Zero Targets: The UK's ambitious goals to reach net zero emissions by 2050 have spurred the need for green building projects, requiring specific skills such as energy efficiency retrofitting.

These factors have driven up job opportunities and wages for those entering trade professions.

However, the report warns that without swift action to address the shortage, future projects may face delays or inflated costs.

Skills Shortage Reaches Critical Point

Despite the growth in demand, the Checkatrade 2024 Trade Skills Index underscores a critical challenge: the shortage of skilled tradespeople.

Key Figures From the Report

• More than one million tradespeople are needed by 2032 to meet industry demands.
• 62 percent of businesses report difficulty finding workers with the right skills.
• The average age of a tradesperson is now 43, with a lack of younger talent entering the field.

This shortage is especially pronounced in areas like plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry. The report emphasizes the need for government initiatives and industry-wide efforts to promote trade as a viable and lucrative career option.

Jambu Palaniappan, CEO at Checkatrade, said:

“The home improvement and repair sector is a crucial one – not just when it comes to delivering meaningful results against our Government’s ‘Building Better’ plans, but also in order to shore up and future-proof existing housing stock.

"The potential benefits for both individual homeowners and the wider economy are immense.

"However, this vision of modern, energy-efficient homes that are fit for 21st-century Britain will remain out of reach unless we tackle the critical trade skills gap head-on.

“Our Trade Skills Index identifies problems not only in recruitment of apprentices, but in retention. I support Lord Richard Layard’s recent call for an overhaul of the UK’s post-18 education system to include a guaranteed apprenticeship for everyone with the requisite qualifications.

"I believe this would also go some way to helping to attract a more diverse range of talent to these programmes, which I think is key to the future of our industries.

“The UK can no longer afford to be a passive observer when it comes to skills development. It is imperative that we take decisive action now to ensure we have the skilled workforce needed to realise this transformative opportunity, and ensure that UK trades do not get left behind.”

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Andrew Evans, Deputy Chief Economist at Capital Economics, added:

"Addressing the government priorities of increased housebuilding and reaching Net Zero will require a skilled construction workforce with the capacity to deliver the associated increase in activity.

Our modelling shows the scale of the challenge.

"Among many striking findings, 377,000 new recruits are needed over the next decade for home improvement and repair work alone."

Wages On the Rise

As the shortage of skilled workers intensifies, wages for tradespeople have seen a substantial increase.

According to the index:

• The average tradesperson earns £37,000 annually, with some earning significantly more based on specialization and location.
• Plumbers and electricians are among the highest earners, with wages often exceeding £40,000 per year.

This rise in wages makes the trade sector more attractive to potential workers. However, with the slow uptake of apprenticeships and vocational training, the current workforce remains insufficient to meet growing demand.

Apprenticeship Uptake Lags

While apprenticeships have long been the backbone of training for skilled trades, the report shows a concerning trend: a decline in the number of young people entering the sector through these routes.

Barriers to Apprenticeships

Several factors contribute to the low uptake of apprenticeships:

• Lack of awareness among young people about career opportunities in trades.
• Misconceptions that trades offer lower earning potential or fewer career growth opportunities compared to university degrees.
• Funding challenges, with businesses citing the cost of supporting apprenticeships as a barrier.

Addressing these issues will be critical in closing the skills gap and ensuring that the trade workforce can meet future demands.

Future Outlook – Closing the Gap

The Checkatrade 2024 Trade Skills Index offers a number of solutions to close the skills gap and build a sustainable future for the trade sector:

• Promoting vocational education: More emphasis on vocational training and apprenticeships is needed to encourage young people to pursue careers in trades.
• Government intervention: Incentives for businesses to take on apprentices, alongside targeted government campaigns to highlight the benefits of working in trades, could help.
• Investment in training programs: Upskilling the current workforce with modern techniques and green building practices is vital for meeting net zero targets.

What’s Next for the UK’s Trade Sector?

As demand continues to grow, the future of the UK’s trade sector will depend on how quickly it can adapt to the challenges highlighted in Checkatrade's 2024 Trade Skills Index. With rising wages, plenty of job opportunities, and the potential for career growth, the industry offers a bright future—if the skills gap can be addressed in time.

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