Following the news that Dawnus Group, a major construction firm based in Swansea with 6 regional offices and 44 construction sites is under administration, resulting in 700 people losing their jobs, ex-employees may now be asking themselves what’s next when it comes to either finding a new job or career path.

One potential new route could be to go self-employed. With a range of skilled tradespeople on construction sites such as electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, these trade professionals could potentially be raking it in if post-Brexit reports are to be believed that skilled labour will be in short supply if Britain leaves the EU.

“This is a very difficult time for all employees of the Dawnus Group. If there is a positive to be taken out of this it is probably that these highly-skilled tradespeople now have the opportunity to become self-employed and further increase their earnings.

“Recent reports state that post-Brexit Britain could see a slumber in the skilled labour force – highly-skilled tradespeople such as Dawnus Group employees now have the potential to fill that gap,” said Lyndon Wood, CEO, Moorhouse Group Ltd.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the average annual salary of an electrician in the UK is £30,765 per year, a plumber earns £29,136, and a carpenter earns around £25,729.

Go self-employed and experienced electricians can earn up to £35,000, with highly-experienced individuals having earning potential up to £42,000. Plumbers earn the most. They can charge up to £90 an hour by going self-employed, and so could potentially rake in £1,000 each week. Experienced electricians can earn up to £35,000, and highly experienced individuals up to £42,000.

With the low costs of starting a business from home, these highly-skilled Welsh workers may, in the long-term at least, benefit from this unforeseeable opportunity to take their careers to the next, more profitable, level.