Thinking of Upskilling in a Trade? Now is the Perfect Time – and Here is Why
The UK economy is in a strange place at the moment. The coronavirus pandemic saw a majority of the country’s workforce begin to work remotely, and also saw the beginning of pandemic-related work stress amongst a significant percentage of workers. On the post-pandemic return to the office, many workers realised their dissatisfaction with their job and overall career, culminating in a ‘Great Resignation’.
The uptick in worker resignation has come alongside a growing interest in skilled trade work; as more workers become disenfranchised with desk-based dead-end jobs and middle management, more are catching wise to the possibilities and engagement offered by a vocation.
City Plumbing carried out a poll of 2,000 UK adults, to discover more about the country’s newfound interest in trades and vocational career paths – and what it found was particularly interesting. One in eight respondents to the survey reported that they were currently thinking about switching to a career in a trade, suggesting that around 3.7 million working adults would be interested in making the switch to a vocation. But what jobs are there in trade industries, and what are the benefits of switching to a trade?
Most Popular Trades for Training In
According to the same survey, plumbing is the most popular trade adults intend to retrain in, with 11% of respondents registering interest in the discipline. Construction work was a close second at 8%, while 6% of respondents signalled an interest in training to become an electrician or electrical engineer.
The Benefits of Starting Out in a Trade
There are numerous benefits attributed to starting a new career in a trade, even with the potential of starting on the bottom rung of a new career ladder. Trade work is always high demand, no matter the discipline; the City Plumbing survey also showed that trade vacancies had increased by well over 300% in the last year alone, representing even more opportunities for those new to a trade.
Trade work is also deeply rewarding, often being a blend of physical and mental labour. You are required to engage, use your initiative and intuit solutions as well as to rely on specific physical processes and skills. As such, the career path can be gratifying, especially for quick learners after a new challenge.
Average Salaries for Different Trades
All of the above is to say nothing of the salaries attributed to different trades. Skilled labour is well-paid, as the skills and experience of labourers make their contributions uniquely valuable. The aforementioned City Plumbing survey gathered the average salaries for skilled work in the UK as of 2021, revealing that the average trade salary is over 10% higher than the average UK salary – and that the most well-paid positions are in construction, with Quantity Surveyors earning an average of £55,000 per year.