Nearly 40% of Brits would now consider a handyman trade

October 27, 2020 / Isla MacFarlane
Nearly 40% of Brits would now consider a handyman trade

The end of the Furlough Scheme is drawing near and millions of people are now searching for new avenues of employment due to the damning impacts Coronavirus has had on the jobs market.

With the pausing of many trades during the first national lockdown, many sectors have seen a V-shaped recovery, with home improvements being one of them.

Powered Now, a mobile-based billing, invoicing and quotation application which specialises in trades, has conducted nationally representative research which has found that 38% of Brits are now considering the handyman trade for their full-time employment. This comes as figures have shown that a quarter of existing handymen are now having to turn down work due to the sheer backlog of work they already have post-lockdown, demonstrating the opportunity in the trades.

Further to this, millions of people are now continuing to remain in their homes as a result of localised lockdowns and many are finding issues with the current state of their homes. As a result, more people are looking to refurbish or upgrade their interiors, resulting in spikes in callouts for handymen, which is contributing to the UK’s home improvement boom.

Here, Powered Now unveils the robust sentiment the UK’s handymen have towards their work, as well as the trade now becoming a new haven for job creation

Key Statistics:

  • 18% of Brits agree that after COVID, they are now considering employment within a trade sector to pick up additional work or to commence a new career in a trade;
  • 38% are considering commencing a career in a handyman role;
  • 16% of tradespeople agree that the threat of a second wave of COVID has influenced them to commence work on home improvements sooner rather than later;
  • 24% of handymen agree;
  • 15% of tradespeople have seen their client demand increase post-COVID;
  • 19% of handymen agree;
  • 17% of tradespeople regularly work over 10 hours a day;
  • 24% of handymen agree;
  • 18% of tradespeople don’t have the time or motivation for new business development due to the sheer backlog of work they have;
  • 23% of handymen agree.

Ben Dyer, CEO of Powered Now, said: “With increasing localised lockdowns as we approach the winter months, more people are making preparations to ensure that their homes are in the best condition to withstand the colder months. This increase in the number of callouts has caused a huge number of people to want to join the handyman trade, especially as further restrictions are making people aware that they may not have access to handymen in the future, and are thus making the most of the opportunity now.

“The entire industry is still in catch up mode and projects delayed by the lockdown are taking priority- this has helped to spike demand and employment for the sector. Our research has very much shown that for those struggling with employment, many can follow many before them and start a new career in the construction and trade sectors.

“The trade industry is traditionally a real mixed bag. Most people with think of the trade as a one-man band that comes to service your boiler or fix your blocked sink. However, there are also thousands of handymen and sub-contractors for larger firms that will tend to operate as their own entity. This will provide the perfect opportunity for millions of people looking to find work in a sector that is strongly bouncing back following the lockdown.”

 

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