More than half (52%) of UK plumbers have raised their rates in the last year, according to new research. The data shows the impact the cost-of-living crisis is continuing to have on the plumbing industry, and ultimately its customers. Rising costs were revealed as the biggest impact of the crisis on the industry, highlighted by 61% of plumbers surveyed by plumbing and drainage manufacturer Wavin.
The results expose the impact of economic factors leading to increases in materials, tools, and labour costs.
After higher costs, customers cancelling or delaying jobs was chosen by 58% as the biggest way in which the cost-of-living crisis is still affecting plumbers. The results show a market where plumbers are having to deal with both rising costs and lost revenue – sometimes at the flip of a switch.
These challenges aren’t just putting plumbers under pressure – they’re damaging consumers’ access to this vital service. Almost half (49%) of plumbers told researchers they choose to focus on higher value jobs. However, many in the industry are also shouldering the burden themselves, rather than passing on costs to customers – almost half (48%) said they had absorbed costs to win work, rather than charging higher rates.
Despite this challenging outlook, the data does reveal a fair amount of optimism about the ability of policymakers to address the issues facing the industry. Many of the plumbers surveyed (59%) told researchers they had confidence in the Labour government’s ability to address these issues. When it came to specific measures to help the industry keep its head above water, increased tax relief came out on top as the most impactful potential change (chosen by 21% of respondents), followed by increased access to affordable trade credit (chosen by 20%).
“The cost-of-living crisis may have dropped from the headlines, but this new data shows that it’s still having a huge impact in one of our most important trades” says Dan Scott, VP of Northern Europe at Wavin. “Plumbers and their customers are feeling squeeze of increased costs, but it’s good to see that there is confidence in policymakers to implement real solutions. If we want to make this sector healthier for everyone, these are the voices and experiences we need to champion.”
