Due to coronavirus (COVID-19), the UK’s unemployment rate has now hit 5% – that’s the highest it’s been for four years, according to Sky News. With so much uncertainty across so many industries, many of us are looking to pick up new skills, whether that’s to fuel a complete career change or to support a side hustle. The trades industry is no exception! Lots of people are retraining, upskilling and joining the industry.
The effect of coronavirus on the trades industry
With everyone spending much more time indoors, our preferences for how our homes look and what they offer us have changed. As well as working hard on our home improvement projects, tradespeople also complete emergency repairs and maintenance daily, so are classed as essential workers by the government. It’s no surprise that there’s been a boom in demand for them. Tradespeople are even driving the UK’s economic recovery from coronavirus!
As a result, lots of people are joining the trades industry. Access Training UK saw a 29% increase in the amount of people registering for their construction-led courses in 2020. New records have been set when it comes to specific trades, too. The number of people enrolling on their Professional Plumbing course more than doubled last year. Meanwhile, the amount of people on their Professional Electrician course grew by over 50%. Not just that, but 14% more female participants joined their trades courses in 2020.
Growing demand from homeowners
Did you know that the average household has spent £4,035.70 on home renovations since the pandemic began (according to Money)? At Rated People, we saw homeowners post 12% more jobs on our platform in 2020, compared to 2019.
With demand remaining high, tradespeople are continuing to work safely inside homes during the pandemic in line with government guidelines. That’s led to many people feeling comfortable with welcoming a tradesperson into their home, to complete everything from maintenance to decorating jobs. Home repairs, plumbing and internal painting are some of the most popular jobs that we’ve seen posted on Rated People.
How tradespeople are meeting your needs during the pandemic
It’s not just new tradespeople that are meeting the current homeowner demand. Established tradespeople are offering more services too, so they can complete more of the work that you need done. So much so, that 4 out of 5 tradespeople on Rated People specialise in more than one area. Many are increasing their skillsets even more by gaining new qualifications.
With the skill pools widening, find a qualified tradesperson to complete work in your home on Rated People.