Almost a fifth of kitchen fitters, electricians, and small residential builders say AI will be among the top three trends shaping their roles over the next two years, according to research from Häfele UK. Over a quarter of respondents (26%) said rising material and tool costs will have the biggest impact on their industry in the next one to two years, closely followed by labour shortages (21%) and client expectations around speed of delivery (20%). However, AI ranked fourth among the likely trends to influence the building industry in the near future, with 19% selecting it as one of their top three. Häfele UK undertook research with 500 kitchen fitters, electricians and small residential builders to understand the pressures and opportunities facing the building trades in the coming years. The findings point to a sector expecting continued strain from rising costs and labour shortages, while also preparing for growing customer demands and the influence of artificial intelligence (AI). As well as exploring the trends most likely to impact the sector, the research also examined how the challenges will affect different trades specifically, recognising that experiences will be affected by the types of work, customer demands, and the skills their businesses rely on. For kitchen installers, customer expectations around speed ranked highly (26%), with the profession feeling particular pressure to turn jobs around more quickly. For electricians, however, the standout issues were the declining number of skilled tradespeople (25%) and the impact of increased workload, with 34% saying their biggest challenge will be managing burnout. Carpenters and joiners reported different experiences. While cost pressure remains a concern (36%), it is closely followed by rising client expectations around speed (35%), with just one percentage point separating the two. Conversely, builders reported a broader set of pressures. While increasing costs ranked as the trend most likely to impact their sector (30%), finding consistent work (32%) and customer financial pressure (30%) ranked highest in the top three challenges, by some margin. Commenting on the results, Rachel Tuckey, Chief Product and Marketing Officer for Häfele UK, said: “These findings show that trades are under pressure from multiple angles. While challenges with tool and material costs are long-standing and ever-present for tradespeople, customer expectations around speed of service and technologies like AI are also quickly shaping the building landscape. “Now, more than ever, tradespeople need services, products, tools and support that help them save time and improve efficiency. That’s why we’ve developed our new Trade Hub, bringing together more than 25,000 products into one place, from fixings and consumables to tools, lighting, storage and fittings. It gives trades a single dependable route to the essentials they need, alongside next-day delivery, product guarantees and simple returns. “And for trades feeling the squeeze on time and labour, we also offer a broad range of services.” Through the Trade Hub, users can access Häfele’s Service+ options, all designed to make installation faster, easier, and more profitable. Services include pre-assembled and custom wooden drawers, cut-to-size lighting and plinth panels, and custom sanding belts. Häfele UK has also launched a new Lighting Configurator to help customers save vital time with their room and furniture lighting designs. Rachel continued: “By bringing these services and systems together, Häfele is helping trades respond to the current and emerging pressures on their roles. Whether the need is to save time, reduce preparation work, simplify sourcing, or offer customers more personalised designs, faster, the tools are there to support a smoother, more predictable way of working in the years ahead.” For more information, visit www.hafele.co.uk/trade-hub Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
