UK Trades Industry Data 2026
How big is the UK trades and home-improvement market, where is household spending going, and how have consumers changed the way they find and choose a tradesperson? This data briefing pulls together verifiable figures from the Office for National Statistics, the Federation of Master Builders, BrightLocal, and Ofcom to give UK trades businesses an honest picture of the market they operate in — and the channel benchmarks that matter for winning work in 2026.
It is hard to run a trades business well if you do not know the shape of the market you are in. How big is the pool of work? Is it growing? Where do homeowners actually look when they need a tradesperson, and what makes them choose one over another?
This briefing pulls together the most useful, verifiable figures on the UK trades and home-improvement market for 2026 — from the Office for National Statistics, the Federation of Master Builders, BrightLocal, and Ofcom. Where a figure is directional rather than precise, we say so. The aim is an honest map, not inflated numbers.
The Size of the Prize: Home Improvement and RMI Spend
The single most important fact for most trades is that the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market is enormous and comparatively resilient. While new-build construction swings with the economy and mortgage rates, homeowners keep needing boilers serviced, bathrooms refitted, roofs repaired, and kitchens replaced.
Market analysis combining ONS contractor output with estimates of DIY spending has identified a private housing RMI market in the region of £39.6 billion for 2024. The Office for National Statistics has reported repair and maintenance work growing faster than new work in recent quarters, with private housing repair and maintenance among the strongest positive contributors to construction output.
For an individual trade, the takeaway is reassuring: you are operating in a large, broad-based market underpinned by an ageing housing stock that constantly needs work. Demand is rarely the constraint — capturing your share of it is.
Market Conditions: What the FMB State of Trade Tells Us
For smaller construction and trades firms specifically, the best regular barometer is the Federation of Master Builders' State of Trade Survey. It is the UK's longest-running survey of small and medium-sized construction firms, tracking workloads, enquiries, costs, and confidence quarter by quarter.
What the broad pattern has shown:
- Repair, maintenance and improvement work has proved more resilient than new-build, consistent with the ONS output data.
- Enquiry and workload levels fluctuate with wider economic conditions, but small firms report steady underlying demand for home-improvement work.
- Cost pressures — materials and labour — remain a recurring theme for member firms, squeezing margins even when work is available.
Because the FMB survey is published regularly, it is worth checking the latest release rather than relying on a single snapshot. For a small trade, the practical use is calibration: if member firms broadly report rising enquiries, a quiet patch is more likely a marketing problem than a market problem.
| Source | What it measures | Best used for |
|---|---|---|
| ONS construction output | Total and segment output (new vs RMI) | The big picture and trend direction |
| FMB State of Trade | SME builder workloads, enquiries, costs | Conditions for smaller trades |
| Checkatrade / Rated People reports | Homeowner improvement intentions | Demand-side consumer trends |
| BrightLocal | Review and local-search behaviour | How customers choose |
How UK Homeowners Find a Tradesperson
The discovery journey has consolidated around a few channels, with Google at the centre.
- Google first. Most local service searches begin on Google, and the Google Business Profile "Local Pack" — the map with three listings — captures a large share of clicks for local-intent and "near me" queries.
- Directories for planned work. Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People, and Which? Trusted Traders remain significant for planned, higher-value jobs where homeowners want vetting and comparison.
- Word of mouth. Personal recommendation still drives a substantial share of trade enquiries — and, increasingly, that recommendation is verified by a quick look at the trade's Google reviews.
- Messaging to communicate. Once contact is made, homeowners increasingly prefer to deal over SMS and WhatsApp, which Ofcom reports is used by around 90% of UK online adults.
The strategic implication is consistent across our sector guides: be unmissable on Google, present on the directories that suit your work, and easy to message. Our pillar on getting found online and the guide to ranking on Google Maps for trades cover the mechanics.
It is also worth noting how the discovery journey is starting to shift. A growing share of homeowners ask AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity for recommendations, which pull from the same web sources, reviews, and structured data that underpin traditional search. For a trade, the practical response is the same set of fundamentals — a complete profile, genuine reviews, clear information — but the channels that surface them are widening. We cover this emerging behaviour in how to show up in ChatGPT and Perplexity.
The Review Economy: Trust as a Ranking and Conversion Factor
Reviews have moved from "nice to have" to a gatekeeper. BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey has consistently found that around three-quarters of consumers "always" or "regularly" read online reviews for local businesses, and that a large share consult multiple review sites before deciding.
For trades the stakes are higher than average, because the homeowner is inviting a stranger into their home and trusting them with significant money. A few benchmarks worth holding in mind:
| Review factor | Why it matters for trades |
|---|---|
| Volume | A larger, recent review count signals an active, trusted business |
| Recency | Steady new reviews matter more than a pile of old ones |
| Rating | Most consumers filter out low-rated businesses early |
| Response | Replying to reviews, including negative ones, builds trust |
A thin or dated review profile is a direct barrier to winning work, regardless of how good the actual workmanship is. We go deeper into the behavioural research in the science of online reviews and the practical mechanics in Google reviews for trades businesses.
BrightLocal's research has also found that consumers frequently consult more than one review source before deciding — a large share use three or more sites. For a trade, that means a strong presence on Google is necessary but not always sufficient; reviews on the directory you use (Checkatrade, Which? Trusted Traders) and on platforms like Trustpilot reinforce the same trust signal across the places a homeowner might check.
Digital Adoption: The Widest Gap in the Sector
Perhaps the most commercially useful pattern in UK trades is the sheer variation in digital maturity. Most trades have some online presence — a Google Business Profile, a basic website. Far fewer have built the operational layer that converts and retains:
- A CRM or job-management system.
- Online booking or enquiry capture.
- Automated review requests and follow-up.
- Missed-call text-back or an AI receptionist so no enquiry is lost.
This gap is the single clearest dividing line between trades that grow steadily and those that depend on the phone happening to be answered. The encouraging news for any individual trade is that, because adoption is uneven, getting the basics of digital operations right still confers a real advantage over local competitors. We map this out fully in digital transformation for trades businesses.
Where the adoption gap shows up
The variation is not random — it clusters around a few specific capabilities that separate organised trades from the rest:
| Capability | Common among trades? | Commercial effect when present |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Widespread | Visibility in local search and the Local Pack |
| Basic website | Common | Captures planned-work search; builds trust |
| Active review collection | Less common | Higher ranking and conversion |
| CRM / job-management | Uncommon among small trades | Fewer lost enquiries; organised follow-up |
| Missed-call cover / AI receptionist | Rare | Recovers otherwise-lost leads |
| Automated aftercare / repeat-revenue | Rare | Drives repeat work and referrals |
The pattern is consistent: the further down this list a capability sits, the rarer it is — and the larger the edge for the trade that adopts it. The basics at the top are now table stakes; the items at the bottom are where a small trade can still leap ahead of bigger, slower-moving competitors.
Seasonality and Demand Patterns
Trade demand is not flat across the year, and the data on consumer behaviour reflects it. Heating and boiler work spikes in autumn and winter; outdoor work, extensions, and improvement projects cluster in spring and summer; emergency work peaks whenever the weather turns. Homeowner improvement-trends reporting from platforms such as Checkatrade and Rated People tracks these intentions and is a useful demand-side complement to the supply-side ONS and FMB data.
For a trade, the practical use of seasonality data is timing: push visibility and promotions ahead of the season, not during it. A heating engineer who builds reviews and runs boiler-service campaigns in late summer is positioned for the autumn rush; one who starts in November is already behind. Aligning your marketing calendar to the demand curve is one of the cheapest edges available.
Channel Benchmarks for 2026
Pulling the data together, here is a practical view of where a UK trade should focus, and why:
| Channel | Role | Evidence base |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Primary visibility for local-intent searches | Local Pack click share; BrightLocal local search data |
| Reviews (Google first) | Trust and ranking signal | BrightLocal: ~75% read reviews regularly |
| Trade directories | Planned, higher-value work | Homeowner improvement-trends reporting |
| Word of mouth + referrals | Warm, high-converting leads | Long-standing pattern in trade enquiry sources |
| Messaging (SMS/WhatsApp) | Communication and conversion | Ofcom: WhatsApp ~90% of UK online adults |
| Website + local pages | Capturing planned-work search | Core Web Vitals and local SEO best practice |
No single channel wins on its own. The data points to a stack: visible on Google, trusted through reviews, present on the right directories, fast to respond, and easy to message. For sector-specific weightings, see the trade hubs such as plumbers, electricians, builders and renovators, and small construction firms.
Benchmarking Your Own Business Against the Market
Sector data is most useful when you hold your own numbers up against it. You do not need a research budget — a handful of honest internal metrics, compared with the market patterns above, tells you where you stand and where to act.
| Your metric | Market context | If you fall short |
|---|---|---|
| Google review count and rating | Most homeowners read reviews before choosing | Start systematic review collection |
| Share of leads from Google vs other | Google is the dominant discovery channel | Strengthen GBP and local pages |
| Time to first response | First responder usually wins | Add missed-call cover and automation |
| Repeat and referral share of work | Warm leads are the cheapest and best | Build aftercare and referral systems |
| Digital tools in use | Adoption is uneven; the gap is an edge | Climb the digital maturity ladder |
The exercise is deliberately simple. If most homeowners read reviews and you have eleven, that is your priority. If Google drives most discovery and you are barely visible there, that is your priority. Benchmarking converts a general market picture into a specific, personal to-do list — which is the whole point of looking at data in the first place. The follow-on guides on digital transformation and customer aftercare turn each gap into an action.
How to Use This Data
Numbers are only useful if they change a decision. Three practical conclusions for a UK trade in 2026:
- Demand is not your problem. The RMI market is large and resilient — analysts put private housing RMI in the region of £39.6 billion for 2024. If you are quiet, look first at visibility and conversion, not at the market.
- Reviews and Google are non-negotiable. With most homeowners starting on Google and around three-quarters reading reviews regularly, a weak presence on either is actively costing you work.
- Digital operations are the easy edge. Because adoption is uneven, the CRM, the follow-up automation, and the missed-call rescue that bigger sectors take for granted are still a genuine advantage in trades.
- Time your marketing to the demand curve. Build visibility and reviews ahead of your busy season, not during it, so you are already ranking when demand peaks.
For the broader strategy these conclusions feed into, see the visibility pillar, the conversion pillar, and the marketing glossary for trades.
A Note on the Figures
Market data ages quickly, and definitions vary between sources. The figures here are drawn from the Office for National Statistics, the Federation of Master Builders, BrightLocal, and Ofcom, and are stated directionally where a single precise number would be misleading. Before quoting a specific figure in your own marketing, check the latest release from the original source — all are linked above and in the FAQs. We deliberately avoid invented statistics: every number in this briefing traces back to a named, public source.
A practical note on sources: the ONS publishes construction output quarterly, the FMB publishes its State of Trade Survey quarterly, BrightLocal refreshes its consumer review research roughly annually, and Ofcom's Online Nation report appears annually. Bookmark the four landing pages and check the latest release before you rely on any single figure — a number that was accurate last year may have moved. Using current, attributed data is not just good practice; in your own marketing it is a trust signal in its own right, because homeowners and search engines alike reward sources that cite real evidence.
Where to Go Next
Understanding the market is the first step; acting on it is the next. The data is consistent and encouraging: a large, resilient pool of work, homeowners who reward visibility and reviews, and an uneven field where the organised trade still wins. These guides turn that picture into a plan.
- Digital transformation for trades businesses
- The science of online reviews
- How to rank on Google Maps for trades
- Google reviews for trades businesses
- Local SEO for tradespeople guide
- Customer aftercare and repeat revenue for trades
- Visibility — get found online
- Conversion — turn enquiries into bookings
- Builders and renovators trade hub
- Marketing glossary for trades
- All blog articles
For trade-specific reads of this market data, see the dedicated hubs for electricians, heating engineers and Gas Safe, and small construction firms. Each weights the same channels — Google, reviews, directories, messaging, and digital operations — differently according to how that trade actually wins work.
We answer before we start
Q/01How big is the UK home repair, maintenance and improvement market?
The private housing repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market is one of the largest segments of UK construction. Combining ONS contractor output with estimates of DIY spending, market analysts have identified a private housing RMI market in the region of £39.6 billion for 2024. The Office for National Statistics has also reported repair and maintenance growing faster than new construction work in recent quarters, with private housing repair and maintenance among the strongest contributors. For trades, that means a large, resilient pool of work driven by homeowners maintaining and upgrading existing homes.
Sources & resourcesQ/02Is the UK construction and trades market growing?
It is mixed by segment. ONS data has shown total construction output growing modestly in recent quarters, with repair and maintenance outperforming new work — private housing repair and maintenance has been a notable positive contributor. The Federation of Master Builders' State of Trade Survey tracks workloads and enquiries for small and medium-sized construction firms quarter by quarter, and is the best regular barometer of conditions for smaller trades. The headline: maintenance and improvement work has proved more resilient than new-build.
Sources & resourcesQ/03How many UK consumers read online reviews before choosing a trade?
Reviews are now near-universal in local purchasing decisions. BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey found that around three-quarters of consumers 'always' or 'regularly' read online reviews for local businesses, and that a large share consult several review sites before deciding. For trades, where homeowners are inviting a stranger into their home, this matters even more than in many sectors. A thin or dated review profile is a direct barrier to winning work.
Sources & resourcesQ/04Which platforms do UK homeowners use to find tradespeople?
Google remains the dominant starting point — most local searches begin there, and the Google Business Profile Local Pack captures a large share of clicks for 'near me' and local-intent queries. Trade directories such as Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People and Which? Trusted Traders remain important for planned work, and word of mouth still drives a substantial share of enquiries. The practical picture for 2026 is a Google-first journey, supported by directories and reviews, with messaging apps increasingly used to communicate once contact is made.
Q/05How digitally mature is the average UK trades business?
There is wide variation. Many UK trades have a Google Business Profile and a basic website, but far fewer use a CRM or job-management system, online booking, or automated review and follow-up. The gap between the most and least digitised trades is large, and it shows up directly in lead volume and conversion. Digital adoption is one of the clearest dividing lines between trades that grow steadily and those that rely on the phone ringing.
Sources & resourcesQ/06Why does industry data matter for a small trades business?
Because it tells you where the work and the competition actually are, rather than where you assume they are. Knowing that repair and improvement spending is large and resilient tells you the demand is there; knowing that most homeowners read reviews and start on Google tells you where to be visible; knowing how few competitors have digitised tells you where the easy advantage lies. Data turns marketing from guesswork into a set of informed bets.
