Britain’s Tradespeople Lose Trust in Government

June 17, 2009 - PRLog -- One in five tradespeople have considered changing careers

The MyHammer study also revealed the following:
•   73% of tradespeople feel the government is not doing enough to support them
•   39% of those asked find they now have less work with 17% admitting to thinking about a change in career
•   66% of tradespeople have noticed a rise in customers trying to avoid payments
•   57% of tradespeople have noticed that customers are becoming more environmentally aware
•   25% have had to become more competitive to keep their business afloat
•   Women in the trade have increased their competitiveness more than the men with 34% of women stating this, against 25% of men

7th June 2009 – Nearly three quarters [73%] of tradespeople feel that the government is not doing enough to support their business, with almost one in five [17%] admitting to having considered changing careers, according to a survey for online trades and services portal MyHammer.

Tradespeople were quizzed about how they’re finding business in the current climate, with more than a third [39%] of all tradespeople claiming to have less work on due to the recession.

Adding insult to injury, over half [66%] of tradespeople noticing a boost in people trying to avoid paying them for completed work, making it increasingly difficult to stay afloat.

As over half [57%] of respondents see an increase in homeowners’ environmental awareness, green-proofing is also affecting the industry. In fact, knowledge of environmental products and installation is now seen as being more valuable than building skills or handyman know-how. A quarter [24%] of those asked have had to become more competitive in the way they run their business, with plumbing being one of the most desirable expertises to add to a skill-set.

When it comes to managing a business in a credit crunch it seems the ladies have the competitive edge. Whilst more female tradespeople say that they now have less work [43% of women compared with 38% of men], it seems women are taking the initiative to win that work back, with more admitting to becoming more competitive [34%] than men [25%].  

Bob Swift, MyHammer’s UK Director, comments: “With the decline in new-build projects, a tradesman or handyman such as a builder will have been relying largely on renovation work. At MyHammer we see lots of professionals creating profiles in order to help market their business, as well as consumers who post jobs to get a fair deal in a volatile market. Putting the process through this online portal encourages transparency in the market and ensures that everyone is happy with the process, whether that’s as a trader or a consumer. Consumers also have the chance to feedback on the tradespeople they hire which creates a community of trusted tradespeople on the site.”

Go to http://www.myhammer.co.uk for more information.
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Images, case studies and spokespeople available, please contact:
Natalie Card
t: 020 7973 4438 e: ncard@hillandknowlton.com


All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from One Poll.  Total sample size of 2,018 UK adults working in various trades. Fieldwork undertaken 21st May – 27th May 2009.  The survey was carried out online.


About MyHammer
MyHammer covers a broad spectrum of categories ranging from construction projects, repairs, renovations to home care and coaching. The portal encourages transparency in the marketplace, and with tradesmen posting competitive quotes to secure the work consumers can expect savings of up to 30%. Users can post their jobs on the MyHammer platform for free and tradesmen and service providers can then make informed offers to win their business. On completion of each job, both parties are able to rate each other, creating a feedback loop that acts as a further guarantee of quality on the platform. MyHammer gives tradesmen the opportunity to differentiate themselves from competitors whether that is on price, quality or availability.

MyHammer launched in Germany in 2005 where it has quickly become the largest private directory for trades and services, with over 25,000 job postings running at any one time, and over €200million worth of jobs posted on the MyHammer portal in 2007. In Germany, over 700,000 members have registered for free with MyHammer with over 1,500 jobs being posted daily. MyHammer AG has currently 40 employees in Neuss and Berlin. You can find further information at http://www.myhammer.co.uk

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If you have a job that needs doing then post a job for free or if you are a tradesman or handyman then browse other peoples job posts for free at: http://www.myhammer.co.uk