Brits turn to the trades for long-term job security, as MPs across Parliament launch a new group backing Britain’s tradespeople

Becoming a plumber, electrician, or carpenter is seeing a surge in interest across the country. Nearly four in ten (37%) people are now considering switching careers, and of those, over half (54%) are interested in retraining to join the trade industry.

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With the ONS showing that the UK’s unemployment rate has increased at the same time as the number of job vacancies has fallen to its lowest level in five years, three-quarters (75%) of the public believe that a job in the trades is a respected career path with long-term job security. 

The data, from home improvement platform Checkatrade, comes as a new cross-party group of MPs and Peers backing Britain’s tradespeople has launched. 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tradespeople will represent the interests of the 900,000 people working in trades across the UK and raise the issues affecting them with policymakers.

More than 20 MPs and Members of the House of Lords have joined the group, which is being supported by Checkatrade. It will be chaired by the Labour MP Amanda Martin, who comes from a family of tradespeople and introduced a Bill to tackle tool theft in the House of Commons.

With data showing that nine in ten (90%) tradespeople in the UK own their own business, the APPG for Tradespeople will spend the next twelve months tackling the barriers holding trade businesses back. The APPG will look at how to stop the rise of tool theft, understand why low numbers of apprentices move into the industry, and how to tackle rogue traders who operate across the country.

Amanda Martin MP,  Chair of the APPG for Tradespeople, said:

“I come from a family of plumbers and builders, and while these incredible people are the lifeblood of so much of the economy, too often they are overlooked and forgotten in Westminster. 

“Tradespeople build our homes, keep our lights on, and come in the middle of the night to fix a household crisis. But for too long, policymakers haven’t focused on how to help them grow their businesses and tackle the major issues they face, like the rise of tool theft, which is devastating for a tradesperson. This APPG will change that. I'm determined to ensure that tradespeople have a powerful voice in Parliament.”

Jambu Palaniappan, Chief Executive at Checkatrade, said:

“The UK’s 900,000 tradespeople are an essential part of society, and interest in joining the trades has never been higher. Being a plumber, a carpenter, or an electrician has gone from being a last resort to a first choice career, but too many barriers are thrown up in front of trade businesses every day. MPs across Parliament are going to put trades front and centre, and make sure this industry gets the respect and the hearing it deserves.”