According to a study by IronmongeryDirect, the construction sector is being urged to create more apprenticeships and find ways to attract workers to the sector after new research found that over half of the UK population is struggling to hire a tradesperson.

The study surveyed 1,000 people who have required the services of a trade professional over the past year. Results showed that for one in six people (16%), it took more than three weeks to find a suitable tradesperson, while 13% said it took up to two weeks, and almost a quarter (24%) had to search for a week to get someone on board.

Two thirds of respondents noticed a shortage of skilled professionals when trying to find a person for the job. A third (33%) of which said they noticed a shortage but eventually were able to find someone, while 3% admitted they noticed a shortage and as a result couldn’t find anyone suitable to undertake the job required.

Even for those that didn’t notice a shortage, over a quarter (26%) still said they had to ring around to find a tradesperson as many were busy.

The research was undertaken as part of IronmongeryDirect’s ‘More Skills Required’ report to find out what effect the skills shortage is having on the UK’s ability to find qualified tradespeople. Furthermore, it sets out to provide suitable solutions to attract more people to the industry, and skill-up the existing workforce so they can service more people. 

Managing director at IronmongeryDirect, Wayne Lysaght-Mason, said: “There has been a lot of discussion in the construction sector recently about the growing skills shortage and how the crisis will affect the industry in the future if the problem isn’t tackled.

“From our research, we can already see that the shortage is having an impact on the UK’s ability to source skilled tradespeople. However, it did indicate that it’s not too bad yet, as 48% of people are generally able to find a suitable tradesperson within a couple of days.'

He added: “However, Britain’s impending departure from the EU is likely to have an effect on the labour force so it’s important that the sector takes immediate action to bridge the skills gap, and prevent the issue from getting worse.”