Last updated: 27 February 2026
Whether you're a plumber pricing a job, an electrician deciding whether to invest in a website, or a builder weighing up new software — data helps you make better decisions.
This is a compiled reference of 47 statistics covering the UK trade industry in 2026. Every stat is sourced and cited. Bookmark it, share it, come back to it.
UK Construction & Trade Industry Size
1. UK construction output totalled £215.7 billion in 2024, with 44% coming from repair and maintenance work. (CITB Construction Workforce Outlook 2025)
2. The UK construction workforce stood at 2,649,220 workers in 2024 and is forecast to grow to 2,752,790 by 2029. (CITB Construction Workforce Outlook 2025)
3. Construction output is forecast to grow by 1.6% in 2025, increasing to an average of 2.1% per year through to 2029. (CITB Construction Workforce Outlook 2025)
4. Total construction output fell 2.1% in Q4 2025 compared with Q3, with private new housing dropping 3.6%. (ONS Construction Output, December 2025)
5. The UK had an estimated 5.5 million private sector businesses at the start of 2024, the majority of which are small businesses or sole traders. (BPE 2024, Department for Business and Trade)
6. Construction accounts for roughly 6% of UK GDP and employs around 7% of the total workforce. (ONS / CITB)
Average Tradesman Earnings in the UK
7. The average UK electrician salary is £43,087 per year, ranging from £40,027 to £47,860. (Reed.co.uk, February 2026)
8. The average UK plumber salary is £39,921 per year, ranging from £37,444 to £42,781. (Reed.co.uk, February 2026)
9. The average UK carpenter salary is £39,026 per year, ranging from £37,409 to £41,094. (Reed.co.uk, February 2026)
10. The average UK painter and decorator salary is £36,381 per year. (Reed.co.uk, February 2026)
11. The average UK builder salary is £35,235 per year, ranging from £34,880 to £35,605. (Reed.co.uk, February 2026)
12. Hourly rates for electricians average £15.05/hour, with the top 10% earning over £20.62/hour. (PayScale UK, 2026)
13. Hourly rates for plumbers average £12.22/hour, with the top 10% earning over £21.70/hour. (PayScale UK, 2026)
14. Self-employed tradesmen typically earn 10–30% more than their employed equivalents, but must cover their own tools, van, insurance, and pension. (IPSE Self-Employed Landscape Reports)
Digital Adoption & Online Presence
15. Only 40% of small and medium businesses have a dedicated business website. (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
16. Just 35% of SMBs have a Google Business Profile, despite it being free and one of the strongest local ranking signals. (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
17. 89% of SMBs say they invest in organic SEO, yet most lack the fundamentals (a website and Google Business Profile) to make it work. (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
18. Facebook (50%) and Instagram (44%) are more commonly used by SMBs than a dedicated website (40%) for their online presence. (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
19. 36% of SMBs say cost is the main barrier holding them back from investing in marketing channels. (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
20. SMBs that feel optimistic about their future invest more broadly in their marketing mix, particularly in SEO (43% rate it high-impact vs 35% average). (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
If you don't have a website yet, that's actually an opportunity — most of your competitors don't either.
Making Tax Digital (MTD) Compliance
21. From 6 April 2026, sole traders and landlords with annual income over £50,000 must use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. (GOV.UK, MTD for Income Tax)
22. MTD requires quarterly digital updates to HMRC using compatible software, plus an annual tax return. (GOV.UK)
23. The £50,000 threshold covers qualifying income from self-employment and property combined — many tradesmen with rental income will be caught by this. (GOV.UK)
24. MTD for VAT has been mandatory since April 2022 for all VAT-registered businesses, affecting any tradesman turning over more than £90,000. (HMRC)
25. An estimated 4.2 million self-employed individuals in the UK will eventually fall under MTD requirements as thresholds are lowered. (HMRC Impact Assessment)
If you're a sole trader earning over £50,000, you need MTD-compatible software now. A.X.E.L handles invoices, expenses, and record-keeping in one place.
Customer Behaviour & Reviews
26. 97% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses before making a decision. (BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026)
27. 41% of consumers now say they "always" read reviews when browsing for a business, up from 29% the previous year. (BrightLocal 2026)
28. Consumers use an average of 6 different review sites when choosing a business. (BrightLocal 2026)
29. Google remains the #1 review platform but its share dropped from 83% to 71% in 2026. Facebook and AI tools like ChatGPT are growing alternatives. (BrightLocal 2026)
30. Use of ChatGPT and AI tools for local business recommendations surged from 6% to 45% in one year, making it the third most popular source. (BrightLocal 2026)
31. Consumers increasingly expect businesses to respond to reviews almost immediately — slow or generic responses are seen as a red flag. (BrightLocal 2026)
32. Consumers now expect higher star ratings, with a sharp increase in those only using businesses with 4.5+ stars. (BrightLocal 2026)
Reviews matter more than ever. If you're not actively asking satisfied customers for Google reviews, you're leaving work on the table. A professional website with embedded testimonials builds trust before the phone even rings.
Mobile vs Desktop Usage
33. Over 60% of UK web traffic now comes from mobile devices, and this figure is higher for local "near me" searches. (StatCounter / ONS Digital Economy Data)
34. Google has used mobile-first indexing since 2023, meaning the mobile version of your site is what determines your search ranking. (Google Search Central)
35. 53% of mobile users abandon a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. (Google / Think with Google)
36. 46% of all Google searches have local intent — people searching for services in their area. (Google)
37. 76% of people who search for something local on their phone visit a business within 24 hours. (Google / Think with Google)
Your website must work perfectly on mobile. If it doesn't, you're invisible to the majority of potential customers. Here's how to fix that.
Late Payments & Cash Flow
38. UK small businesses are owed an estimated £23.4 billion in overdue payments at any given time. (FSB Late Payments Report)
39. The average UK SME waits 8.4 days beyond agreed terms for payment, with some sectors averaging over 30 days late. (Xero Small Business Insights)
40. 62% of UK SMEs report experiencing late payments, with construction being one of the worst-affected industries. (FSB / BEIS)
41. Late payments are cited as the primary cause of 50,000 UK business closures per year. (FSB)
42. 87% of businesses that invoice say they've had at least one invoice paid late in the past 12 months. (QuickBooks / Intuit UK SME Survey)
Chasing payments is one of the biggest time-drains for tradesmen. Digital invoicing with automatic reminders cuts this significantly — A.X.E.L lets you send professional invoices and track payments from your phone.
Lead Generation & Marketing
43. Word-of-mouth referrals remain the #1 source of new business for UK tradesmen, but it's unpredictable and doesn't scale. (Checkatrade Tradesman Survey / Industry Reports)
44. 70% of SMB owners reported increased material and inventory costs in 2025, squeezing margins and making efficient marketing more important. (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
45. SEO is rated as the highest-impact marketing channel by optimistic SMBs (43%), ahead of paid search (34%) and organic social (32%). (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
46. Only 11% of SMBs don't invest in SEO or local SEO, making it one of the most widely adopted marketing channels. (BrightLocal SMB Marketing 2025)
47. A hand-coded, SEO-optimised website typically loads 3–5x faster than a template equivalent — and page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the UK construction industry?
UK construction output was £215.7 billion in 2024, employing over 2.6 million workers. It accounts for roughly 6% of GDP and is forecast to grow at 2.1% per year through to 2029.
What is the highest-paid trade in the UK?
Electricians are the highest-paid trade on average at £43,087 per year, followed by plumbers (£39,921) and carpenters (£39,026), according to Reed.co.uk data from February 2026.
Do tradesmen need a website in 2026?
Only 40% of SMBs have a website and just 35% have a Google Business Profile. With 97% of consumers reading reviews and over 60% of searches happening on mobile, a professional website is a significant competitive advantage for tradesmen who have one.
What is Making Tax Digital and when does it start?
MTD for Income Tax starts 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords earning over £50,000. It requires quarterly digital reporting to HMRC using compatible software, replacing the traditional annual Self Assessment process.
How much do late payments cost UK small businesses?
UK small businesses are collectively owed an estimated £23.4 billion in overdue invoices. Late payments contribute to around 50,000 business closures per year and affect 62% of UK SMEs.
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These statistics are compiled from publicly available UK government data, industry bodies (CITB, FSB, IPSE), job platforms (Reed, PayScale), and marketing research (BrightLocal). We update this page regularly — if you spot an error or have a more recent source, get in touch.
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