What are the UK trades with the highest job satisfaction?
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November 29, 2021
handsome electrician checking electrical box with multimetr in corridor
Tradespeople are significantly more likely to love their jobs than the average working Brit, with over half saying they really enjoy what they do, according to new research.
The study, by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, asked UK tradespeople about their level of job satisfaction and found that 56% are happy with their careers, compared to just 37% across all industries.
Additionally, nearly half (47%) of tradespeople are proud of the work they do and around a third say they are happy with both their work-life balance (32%) and level of income (31%).
Tradies were also asked exactly which parts of their work they find the most enjoyable. The most popular answer was interaction with customers (22%), while the ability to continually learn on the job also ranked highly (21%).
The top five things tradespeople enjoy about their work are:
- Interacting with customers – 22%
- Learning something new – 21%
- Working outdoors – 20%
- Job variety – 20%
- Seeing visible accomplishments each day – 19%
When it comes to individual trades, bricklayers are the most likely tradespeople to say they enjoy their job (69%), but interestingly are also the least likely to feel proud of their work (19%).
Electricians (63%) and plumbers (61%) also have really high job satisfaction, while at the other end of the table, building surveyors are the least likely tradespeople to enjoy their work (43%).
Painter decorators and electricians are the most likely tradies to feel a sense of pride about their work (58%).
| # | Trade | I enjoy my job (%) | I’m proud of my work (%) |
| 1 | Bricklayer | 69% | 19% |
| 2 | Electrician | 63% | 58% |
| 3 | Plumber | 61% | 44% |
| 4 | Painter and Decorator | 60% | 58% |
| 5 | Scaffolder | 60% | 40% |
| 6 | Builder | 58% | 45% |
| 7 | Landscaper | 57% | 56% |
| 8 | Roofer | 54% | 23% |
| 9 | Plasterer | 46% | 39% |
| 10 | Carpenter | 45% | 43% |
| 11 | Joiner | 44% | 33% |
| 12 | Building Surveyor | 43% | 45% |
Millennial tradespeople are the least likely to enjoy their job, with only 43% stating that they like their work, whilst those over the age of 65 have the greatest career satisfaction (69%).
More men said they enjoy their job (60%) than women (50%), but women are more likely to be proud of their work (51% vs 45%).
Dominick Sandford, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect, said: “It’s great to see that so many tradespeople enjoy the work they do, and feel a real sense of accomplishment for their projects.
“We’ve always believed that for many tradies, their work isn’t just a job, but truly a passion and a way of life, and that was echoed by the majority of tradespeople in our study.”
