A new survey has found that plumbers are winning work more easily than other trades that are challenged by issues such the rise of DIY and social media. Multi-skilled trades professionals top the table as the most challenged trade in 2019.
The survey from Armstead, which polled painters and decorators, plumbers, electricians, builders and multi-skilled traders, revealed that securing work was harder than ever, with an increase in customers using social media to look at work online before booking (54%) and the rise of DIY (45%) causing fewer enquiries.
Painters and decorators were second in the league table, with the continued rise of DIY leading to greater competition between professionals, whilst plumbers were ranked least challenged, as one of the most specialist trades in the UK.
More than half (53%) of multi-skilled traders admit that getting new customers is harder now than it was five years ago, with 59% claiming that social media has added more challenges to them than anything else in the past decade.
Alex Briggs, Senior Marketing Manager at Armstead, comments; “The most important thing to any trades professional is the quality of their work, because it directly impacts their reputation. Whilst it’s easier for specialists to demonstrate the type of work they do, it’s a challenge for a multi-skilled professional who could be working on an end-to-end job installing a kitchen that requires knowledge from decorating to tiling and carpentry to plumbing.
“That’s why, not only do they need to keep an eye on the latest trends across multiple sectors, but they also need multi-purpose products to protect their bottom line, without risking the quality of their work.”
MOST CHALLENGING TRADES 2019
- Multi-skilled tradespeople
- Builders
- Painters and decorators
- Electricians
- Plumbers
BIGGEST CONCERNS 2019
- Customer payments (64%)
- Securing the next job (39%)
- Customer reviews (34%)
- Completing necessary paperwork (28%)
- Social media profile (22%)
