As Christmas approaches, new research has revealed the mounting mental health pressures faced by UK tradespeople during the festive season. According to the UK State of The Trades Report 2025, over a third of tradespeople (37%) report feeling more stressed at this time of year, while 27% say they experience higher levels of burnout over the holidays. These seasonal pressures add to a challenging year, with nine in ten tradespeople saying they have felt stressed at some point in 2025.

The survey also reveals that nearly a quarter of tradespeople (23%) feel pressured to take on extra work to boost their festive income, a pattern that often leads to longer hours, exhaustion, and mounting anxiety.

Lucie Levesley, director at Jackson Woodturners, the firm behind the survey, comments:

“The end of the year can be especially tough for tradespeople. They’re juggling a heavy workload, tight deadlines and customers eager to get jobs finished before Christmas, all while managing their own personal and business challenges. It’s easy for mental health to take a back seat, but it’s vital people take a step back, rest and reach out if they’re struggling.”

Widespread mental health strain across the trades

The research highlights how widespread mental strain has become across the trades. Nine in ten tradespeople have felt stressed at some point this year, with many also reporting burnout, anxiety and loneliness.

A quarter experience anxiety weekly, and two-thirds have battled symptoms of depression during 2025.

This echoes national findings showing that those working in the construction space are four times more likely to suffer mental health issues than the UK average, according to charity Mates in Mind. Yet nearly 70% of tradespeople say they’ve never accessed therapy or formal mental-health support.

Men make up the majority of the UK’s skilled trades workforce (women are only around 2-4% of this and only 15% across the broader sector, according to ElecTraining), so despite these concerning figures in the report, it’s unsurprising that poor mental health is so prevalent in the industry. Three out of four deaths by suicide are male (76%), with suicide being the biggest killer of men in the UK. This is at a rate of 14 men per day, and whilst gendered these deaths affect everyone as they are not just men, they are husbands, partners, dads, brothers, sons and more. Leaving families wondering why did this happen.

Dr Luke Sullivan, clinical psychologist and founder at Men’s Minds Matter has shared guidance on how all tradespeople can look after their mental health during the festive season:

  1. Learn to spot early warning signals –
    Take the time to know yourself and notice any physical and emotional cues that might be a result of stress. Irritability, tension, fatigue, difficulty switching off are all common indicators to act and make changes. They’re your body telling you something is off, not signs of weakness.

  2. Assess your load, not your limits –
    Stress often reflects excessive demands, not a lack of resilience. Examine what’s on your plate both personally and professionally and adjust the weight before questioning your capacity or capabilities. It’s a good idea to review your new year plans now too, so you’re not struggling into the new year.

  3. Redistribute, don’t internalise –
    You don’t have to carry everything alone. Delegate, share, or ask for help in finding another way. Whether that’s at work, at home, or with friends. Even small redistributions of responsibility or calling in additional resources can release a lot of pressure.

  4. Protect your boundaries –
    Protect your personal time, family time, and rest. Boundaries are essential — they’re not selfish, they’re protective. Make space for the things that replenish you and treat that time as non-negotiable. Deciding what you are willing to give creates boundaries and helps you recognise when you have crossed them.

  5. Talk before you tip –  You don’t have to wait until things fall apart to speak up. Talk early and openly about how you’re feeling. Sharing takes the weight off and gives others the chance to step in before the load becomes too heavy. If you’re not sure where to start, visit www.mensmindsmatter.org for self-help resources, guides, and training opportunities. You may also find support through organisations like Band of Builders.

For further information on the UK State of the Trades 2025-26 study, visit the online report.