The survey of 250 UK tradespeople, conducted by Opinium for Direct Line between 25 and 28 July 2022, found that the increase has been significant for 10% of respondents. 

However, rising costs for business, fuel, material, and transport are generally becoming more of a concern. Over a quarter are taking jobs closer to home due to rising transport costs (28%) or the expansion of low emission zones (25%).

Over a fifth (21%) have had to turn down jobs because of supply chain issues. Almost a quarter (24%) say that jobs are taking longer to complete, or that their profit margins have decreased, due to their honouring quotes rendered obsolete by increasing material and business costs. Added to that, almost one in ten (9%) say that tool theft has impacted their ability to work.

While industry challenges and the cost-of-living continues to rise, tradespeople remain relatively optimistic, with 44% expecting a further increase in their workload over the next six months.

Currently, there is a nearly an even split between tradespeople that have seen an increase (40%) and decrease (38%) in their workload. However 62% overall say they have either experienced an increase or no change, despite worsening market conditions.

Tradespeople have mixed feelings towards the impact of their workloads. The largest proportion (39%) of tradespeople expecting more work are enjoying the situation, although 27% say they are feeling stressed and anxious about the rise. Over one in ten (12% have concerns about burnout due to the extra volume of work.