The task of finding a builder for even the simplest of projects is becoming an ever-increasing source of frustration – with homeowners sometimes having to wait months.
And it’s no wonder, given a critical current shortage of more than a million tradespeople.
According to website Checkatrade, which puts people in touch with reputable contractors, 1.3million new skilled workers and 350,000 apprentices are needed to meet demand in the next decade.
Its report said that with an improving economy, lower interest rates and accelerated planning processes, the home improvement and repair sector is forecast to grow by 40 per cent.
But, this growth is at risk due to a severe skills deficit, exacerbated by an ageing workforce, with more than a third of current workers aged over 50 and many planning to retire within the next decade, the report said.
The UK is facing a critical shortage of tradespeople, with 1.3million new skilled workers needed to meet demand over the next decade (file photo)
The 1.3million figure includes 377,000 workers to replace those retiring, plus 734,000 to meet current demand in the home improvement, repair and construction sectors. Another 200,000 jobs are likely to be needed due to the promised growth in housing.
Andrew Evans at Capital Economics, which helped with the research, said the figures show ‘the scale of the challenge’.
He 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.’
Jambu Palaniappan, chief executive 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.
‘However, this vision of modern, energy-efficient homes will remain out of reach unless we tackle the critical trade skills gap head-on.’
Checkatrade’s findings come as a separate report by workplace education organisations, City & Guilds, and the Lifelong Education Institute, called on the Government to develop a ‘long-term strategy’ to boost numbers of qualified skilled workers.
Kirstie Donnelly, chief executive of City & Guilds, said: ‘We have a once in a generation opportunity to create a holistic, long-term strategy for uplifting our economy through skills provision that works. If we don’t get this right now, we will never resolve our productivity and growth problem.
A report by Checkatrade estimated that the home improvement and repair sector is forecast to grow by 40 per cent (file photo)
The problems were also acknowledged in a report by the Construction Skills Network, published in May.
It said the industry needs to reduce numbers of people who leave for other jobs as well as boost training and retraining.
In June, a separate study revealed how 415,000 householders have waited more than a year to find a builder to work on their homes.
A further 301,000 waited a year for plumbers and heating engineers, 294,000 for a roofer and 274,000 for a carpenter. Last year bricklayers, plasterers, roofers and carpenters were added to the Home Office’s ‘shortage occupation list’.
