October 3, 2024

Compare Companies reveals the most sought-after tradespeople in 2023

Plumber fixing under the sink in the kitchen

UK households have made more than half a million (580,920)1 searches online for local tradespeople in the first half of this year and now new research reveals the most in-demand trades across the country.

Data experts at Compare Companies, an online business that helps people find a tradesperson to compare prices for their home improvements, analysed search data from across the nation and found that plumbers are the most sought-after.

UK households have made 110,000 searches for plumbers in 2023, which represents almost a fifth (19%) of all online trade enquiries.

In fact, among the top 25 list of tradespeople in the country’s largest towns and cities, plumbers are the most coveted tradespeople with 5400 searches a month in the South, 3600 in the Midlands, 2900 in the Southwest, 1900 searches in the North and 1500 searches in Southeast alone.

The second highest search for a tradesperson online is for a Locksmith (74,000), followed by an Electrician in third (60,500), Roofers in fourth place (40,500) and Landscape Gardeners in fifth place (33,100).

More than 27,100 people often search for a Handyman and 22,200 people often search for Cleaners, Plasterers, or Tree Surgeons. Meanwhile, 18,100 people search for Joiners or Carpenters, respectively.

Andy Royle, Managing Director of Compare Companies, explains: “Thousands of people have turned to professional tradespeople this year to help them turn their home improvement visions into a reality.

“At Compare Companies, we’ve seen a natural increase of 10% in quotes for tradespeople compared to last year, so there’s definitely a rise in demand for home improvement services despite the cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s interesting to see where the most sought-after skills are right now. Overall, we’ve seen the most demand for plumbers and electricians and we put that down to them being available for home emergencies and necessary fixes that won’t wait.”

The most in-demand trades across the UK are:

The most in-demand trades in the UK

# Trade Average UK searches Jan-May 2023 Percentage of all searches for tradespeople
1.       Plumber near me 110,000 19%
2.       Locksmith near me 74,000 13%
3.       Electrician near me 60,500 10%
4.       Roofer near me        40,500 7%
5.       Landscape gardener near me 33,100 6%
6.       Handyman near me 27,100 5%
7.       Cleaner near me 22,200 4%
8.       Plasterer near me 22,200 4%
9.       Tree surgeon near me 22,200 4%
10.   Joiner near me 18,100 3%
11.   Carpenter near me 18,100 3%
12.   Pest control near me 18,100 3%
13.   Chimney sweep near me 14,800 3%
14.   Architect near me 14,800 3%
15.   Painter and decorator near me 14,800 3%
16.   Tiler near me 14,800 3%
17.   Gas engineer near me 12,100 2%
18.   Structural engineer near me 12,100 2%
19.   Gutter cleaner near me 9,900 2%
20.   Blacksmith near me 5,400 1%
21.   Interior designer near me 5,400 1%
22.   Welder near me 5,400 1%
23.   Stonemason near me 4,400 1%
24.   Quantity surveyor near me 480 0.1%
25.   CCTV installer near me 440 0.1%
1Total Combined Searches: 580,920  

 

Methodology: SEMRush Search Volume data was analysed between January to May 2023 – comparing search volumes for the top 25 tradespeople over the first half of the year to date.