Pimlico Plumbers is looking to take on an additional 50 experienced tradespeople to meet increasing demand for its services.

The central London-based company is forecasting completing 120,000 jobs in 2021, up from 100,000 from the previous year, which is creating the requirement for the additional tradespeople.

With vacancies across all trades including heating, plumbing, carpentry, and electrical, along with positions in its small appliance repair, roofing and drain jetting teams, engineers working with Pimlico can earn between £100,000 and £150,000 a year, according to the company.

Alongside the expected high level of jobs already handled by Pimlico, it is seeing a wave in maintenance jobs that were delayed by people not wanting tradespeople in their homes during the height of the pandemic, coupled with householders investing in their properties rather than spending on foreign holidays.

Having already posted record sales for its 2020-21 financial year, this recruitment drive is part of the continuing growth of the business, which was founded more than 40 years ago.

It currently has more than 300 tradespeople operating across central and greater London and a support team based in its campus of buildings in Lambeth, South London.

The company also has around 70 apprentices in both trade and office-based roles as it aims to develop its workforce from within the business alongside attracting tradespeople from an ever-decreasing pool of experienced engineers.

Scott Mullins, CEO of Pimlico Plumbers, said: “The demand for our services is great news and offers experienced tradespeople the opportunity to earn in the region of £150,000 a year from the massive number of job bookings we’re getting.  

“From the moment that lockdown restrictions began to lift, and people realised they couldn’t spend their money on travelling abroad, improving or repairing their homes became a priority.  As a result, the phones have been ringing red hot and we need more experienced people to meet the demand.

“If 50 experienced tradespeople walked through our doors tomorrow, we’d have them inducted, in uniform and in a Pimlico van immediately. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that because the number of available experienced engineers is sadly limited.

“Our industry is a victim of generations of under investment and support for apprenticeship training, which has led to a major skills time bomb that’s about to go off and leave a fallout that will be felt by businesses and the economy for many years to come.

“As a company, apprenticeships are a major priority for Pimlico, and they are a key to solving the skills crisis. However, the lack of commitment to apprenticeships by successive governments has left businesses like ours with much less choice of skilled and experienced engineers.”