A mixture of good and bad can be perceived in the professional trades industry. On the one hand, it has been noted that there has been a great surge in tradespeople confidence, hitting the highest figures it has reached in the past 3 years; certainly a good sign of success in the industry itself. Yet, on the flip-side, it has been reported that, despite this level of confidence (and perhaps as consequence of), it is also the case that some 58% of tradespeople are actually needing to turn down work (published in ECIS’s latest industry survey).

With a positive 48% of tradespeople who partook in the survey commenting that they remain confident about their success over the coming year, it could be theorised that the sector is performing fairly well. Yet, with 41% also saying that they feel considerable pressures on the fulfilment of contracts, there are also concerns that the profession is simply under too much pressure to pursue an “all work and no play” philosophy to life.

With a questionable balance in fray on the division which tradespeople will be able to maintain between work and general day-to-day life, some 60% of respondents noted to the pressures they feel from work and 25% commenting that they also need to work evenings and weekends on a regular basis. This poses a concerning question as, while the industry does seem to be performing well in terms of confidence and levels of work available, it is mixed with those concerns as to the profitability of working in the sector when bearing in mind the sheer workloads and stresses associated with it.

As a result, 22% of those surveyed have denied that they would look to encourage new blood to pursue a career in the industry, which is also effectively where the future of the industry itself will lie. Phil Scarrett, ECIS’s Sales and Marketing Director commented: “There is no shortage of work to go around, but serving that demand is evidently a source of significant pressure for tradespeople.”