Building trade firms saying ‘No’ to new business as skills shortage bites

builders

Close to 1 in 4 trade firms affected

In a survey of tradespeople including electricians, plumbers and general builders by ECIS, 24 per cent of the respondents said they had struggled to find skilled people in the past year. As a result, out of this group, half said they have had to turn work away.

Furthermore, nearly half said the skills shortage had put more pressure on them as a business and worryingly 19% had employed unskilled labour to help meet demands.

Plumbers, Electricians, Painters and Decorators along with General Builders have been the most affected by the skills shortage according to the survey and had to say ‘no’ to new business.

Perhaps not surprisingly, a massive 87 per cent of workers surveyed in the construction sector would encourage a young person to join their industry. And, despite the pressures, only 15 per cent of respondents have considered leaving their profession in the past year – this is a significant drop on the findings of the survey last year when just over a quarter said they had thought about forging a new career outside of the sector.

Phil Scarrett, Sales and Marketing Director for ECIS said: “No business wants to turn work away so the feedback from this survey really underlines how serious the skills shortage issue has become. However, with demand outstripping supply, tradespeople may find themselves in a more powerful position when negotiating contracts which is perhaps why overall, only 15 per cent have considered a change of career in the past year. It is also little wonder that 87 per cent would feel there are good opportunities for young people in their sector.

“With 1 in 5 firms resorting to unskilled labour to fulfil contracts and the new Construction and Design Management regulations in place from 6th April, contractors already under pressure, will have their work cut out to ensure workplace risks are properly managed.”