Skilled Trades Shortage Deepens as Electrician Roles Outnumber Bricklayers by 15 to 1
- Technical review: Thomas Jevons (Head of Training, 20+ years)
- Employability review: Joshua Jarvis (Placement Manager)
- Editorial review: Jessica Gilbert (Marketing Editorial Team)
- Last reviewed:
- Changes: New labour market analysis based on December 2025 job board data
We searched three major UK job boards (Indeed, Reed, and Totaljobs) to measure real-time demand for five core construction trades. The results weren’t subtle.
Electricians: 3,983 live vacancies
Carpenters: 2,819 vacancies
Heating Engineers/Plumbers: 2,666 vacancies
Multi-Trade Operatives: 931 vacancies
Bricklayers: 342 vacancies
On Totaljobs alone, electrician roles outnumbered bricklaying positions by more than 15 to 1 (1,727 vs 110). Across all three platforms, electricians represent the single largest skills shortage in UK construction trades, with nearly 4,000 employers actively recruiting.
This isn’t a temporary blip. The gap reflects structural changes in the UK construction sector driven by Net Zero policies, electrification, and regulatory tightening around electrical competence. Meanwhile, housebuilding has slowed, directly hitting demand for traditional trades like bricklaying.
For anyone considering a career change into the trades, these numbers matter. They show which sectors have sustained employer demand, where training investment is most likely to lead to actual employment, and which pathways offer long-term job security.
The Full Vacancy Breakdown
Here’s the complete data from our December 2025 job board search:
| Trade | Indeed | Reed | Totaljobs | Total |
| 1. Electricians | 1,500 | 756 | 1,727 | 3,983 |
| 2. Heating Engineers / Plumbing | 907 | 391 | 1,368 | 2,666 |
| 3. Carpenters | 1,111 | 145 | 1,563 | 2,819 |
| 4. Bricklayers | 168 | 64 | 110 | 342 |
| 5. Multi-Trade Operatives | 198 | 137 | 596 | 931 |
Key ratios:
- Electricians outnumber bricklayers 11.6:1 overall
- On Totaljobs specifically: 15.7:1
- Electricians account for 35% of all vacancies across these five trades
- Bricklayers represent just 3% of total demand
The gap between electricians and every other trade is significant. Even carpenters and heating engineers, both high-demand sectors, have roughly 1,000 fewer vacancies than electricians.
This is a labour market sending very clear signals about where skills shortages are most acute.
Why Electricians Dominate the Vacancy Numbers
The 3,983 electrician vacancies aren’t random. They reflect three overlapping structural drivers:
1. Net Zero and Electrification
The UK is legally committed to Net Zero by 2050. That requires electrifying transport (EVs and charging infrastructure), heating (heat pumps replacing gas boilers), and power generation (solar, wind, grid upgrades, battery storage).
Every one of these transitions needs qualified electricians. The Office for National Statistics estimates green jobs could grow by 400,000 by 2030, with electrical roles dominating that growth.
Bricklaying, by contrast, isn’t linked to climate policy in the same way. Demand is tied to housebuilding, which has slowed due to high interest rates, planning restrictions, and economic uncertainty.
2. Regulatory Barriers
Electrical work in the UK must comply with BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 (the Wiring Regulations). Electricians need verifiable competence through NVQ Level 3, AM2 practical assessment, 18th Edition certification, and increasingly 2391 Inspection & Testing.
You can’t legally sign off electrical work without these qualifications. Employers can’t shortcut the requirements, which limits the supply of qualified workers and keeps vacancies high.
Thomas Jevons, Head of Training at Elec Training, explains:Â
"Electrical work requires compliance with BS 7671, proper testing procedures, and verifiable competence through NVQ and AM2. You can't shortcut that. Bricklaying has fewer regulatory barriers to entry, which partly explains why the vacancy gap has widened so dramatically. Employers need electricians who can certify work, not just install it."
Bricklaying has no equivalent regulatory framework. While skill and experience matter, there’s no mandatory certification to lay bricks on a construction site. That means supply can adjust faster to demand changes.
3. Training Pathway Length
Becoming a qualified electrician takes 18 months to 3 years depending on the route chosen (fast-track vs traditional apprenticeship). That timeline includes:
- Level 2 and Level 3 theory (2365-02 and 2365-03)
- 18th Edition Wiring Regulations
- NVQ Level 3 portfolio (2357, on-site experience logging)
- AM2 practical exam
- Optional but increasingly required: 2391 Inspection & Testing
You can’t compress this into a 5-week course and expect employers to hire you. The qualification pathway acts as a bottleneck, limiting how quickly new electricians enter the workforce.
Bricklaying has shorter training routes and no mandatory portfolio or practical exam equivalent. That means supply can respond faster when demand increases, but also means vacancies drop faster when housebuilding slows.
What's Happening to Bricklayers?
The 342 bricklaying vacancies aren’t a reflection on the skill or value of bricklayers. They’re a direct consequence of what’s happening in UK housebuilding.
Housebuilding Has Slowed
New housing starts in England fell to 112,330 in 2023/24, down from 145,000+ in previous years. High mortgage rates (5-6% in 2023-2024, now stabilising around 4.5-5%), planning delays, and material cost inflation have all contributed.
Fewer houses being built means fewer bricklayers needed on-site. It’s that simple.
Commercial Construction Has Shifted
Modern commercial buildings increasingly use steel frames, modular construction, and prefabricated panels rather than traditional brickwork. That reduces demand for bricklayers even in the commercial sector.
Lower Barriers to Entry
Bricklaying doesn’t have the same regulatory requirements as electrical work. There’s no mandatory certification, no equivalent to AM2, and no legal requirement to demonstrate competence before working on-site.
That means when demand does increase, supply can adjust relatively quickly. Conversely, when demand drops (as it has with housebuilding), vacancies fall sharply.
The 15:1 ratio isn’t about one trade being “better” than another. It’s about which sectors are structurally expanding (electrification) and which are cyclically contracting (housebuilding).
How We Collected the Data
To keep this analysis transparent and replicable, here’s exactly how we gathered the vacancy numbers.
1. Search Approach
We manually entered standard job-role titles into the search bar of three major UK recruitment platforms:
- Indeed
- Reed
- Totaljobs
Search terms used:
- “Electrician”
- “Heating Engineer” / “Plumber”
- “Carpenter”
- “Bricklayer”
- “Multi-Trade Operative”
Each term was searched exactly as written, with no additional filtering or keywords.
2. Vacancy Count Extraction
We recorded the total live vacancies displayed at the top of the search results page on each platform. This is the headline job count indicator shown by default.
No interpretation, weighting, or filtering was applied.
3. UK-Wide, No Geographic Restriction
Searches were performed on a UK-wide basis with no postcode, radius, or regional filtering. This reflects national demand, not local snapshots.
4. No Duplication Removal
We didn’t attempt to merge or de-duplicate vacancies across platforms. Each job board was treated as a standalone dataset because:
Employers often advertise on only one platform
Each platform has a unique employer base
The same vacancy may or may not appear on multiple boards
Job boards interpret roles and keywords differently
The numbers represent three separate indicators of demand, not a combined total.
5. Timing
All searches were conducted within the same short time window on 1 December 2025 to keep the dataset consistent.
6. Why This Method Works
This methodology is simple, transparent, and replicable. It avoids algorithmic modelling and instead measures real employer demand using:
✔ Live vacancy counts
✔ Publicly available platforms
✔ Standardised, repeatable searches
✔ Consistent criteria across trades
Anyone can verify these numbers by repeating the same searches on the same platforms.
What This Means for Career Changers
If you’re considering a move into the trades, these vacancy numbers should inform your decision.
Electricians Have Choice
With 3,983 vacancies, qualified electricians can choose between:
- Domestic installation (rewires, consumer unit upgrades, EV chargers)
- Commercial projects (offices, retail, warehouses)
- Industrial work (factories, process control, COMPEX environments)
- Specialist sectors (data centres, rail, utilities, renewables)
That level of choice is rare. Most trades have concentrated demand in one or two sectors. Electricians have sustained demand across nearly every sector.
Joshua Jarvis, Placement Manager at Elec Training, confirms:Â
"With electrician demand this high across multiple platforms, trainees have flexibility. If you're qualified properly, you can choose between domestic work, commercial projects, industrial sites, or specialist sectors like data centres or renewables. That level of choice is unusual in construction trades and reflects genuine employer need, not just headline numbers."
Bricklayers Face Uncertainty
This doesn’t mean bricklaying is a bad career. Skilled bricklayers earn good money (£30,000-£45,000+ depending on experience and region), and demand will return when housebuilding increases.
But right now, 342 vacancies nationally means less flexibility, fewer placement opportunities, and more competition for available roles.
If you’re training from scratch and need placement support to complete an NVQ portfolio, electrician pathways offer far more employer options.
Heating Engineers and Carpenters Remain Strong
Heating engineers (2,666 vacancies) benefit from the same Net Zero drivers as electricians. Heat pump installations, boiler upgrades, and renewable heating systems all require qualified heating engineers.
Carpenters (2,819 vacancies) have sustained demand across housebuilding, commercial fit-outs, and renovation work. The trade is less exposed to regulatory bottlenecks than electrical work, so supply and demand can adjust more fluidly.
Qualification Requirements Matter
High demand doesn’t mean employers are lowering standards. The 3,983 electrician vacancies are for qualified electricians, not trainees fresh out of short courses.
What Employers Actually Want:
✔ NVQ Level 3 (2357) (portfolio-based, on-site competence)
✔ 18th Edition (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 Wiring Regulations)
✔ AM2 practical exam (End-Point Assessment for Electrical Installation)
✔ ECS/JIB Gold Card (proof of qualification for site access)
✔ Increasingly: 2391 Inspection & Testing (required for sign-off)
Short courses (5 weeks, 8 weeks, online theory-only) do not meet these requirements. Employers know the difference, and job descriptions reflect it.
The vacancy numbers might tempt some training providers to push shortcuts. The reality is that these roles require proper qualifications, verifiable site experience, and the ability to certify electrical work legally.
If you train properly (Level 2 → Level 3 → NVQ → AM2 → 18th Edition → 2391), you’ll have access to all 3,983 vacancies. If you take shortcuts, you’ll be competing for a much smaller pool of labourer/mate roles at £12-£15 per hour instead of qualified electrician positions at £39,000+ median salary.
Regional and Sector Flexibility
The 3,983 electrician vacancies aren’t concentrated in one region or sector. They’re distributed across:
Regions:
- London and South East (highest pay, £40,000-£45,000+ median)
- Midlands (£30,000-£35,000 median)
- North (£28,000-£33,000 median)
- Scotland (SJIB rates, £33,900 median)
- Wales (£30,000-£35,000)
- Northern Ireland (lowest, £28,000-£32,000)
Sectors:
- Domestic installation (£30,000-£40,000 PAYE, £200-£300/day CIS)
- Commercial projects (£35,000-£45,000 PAYE, £250-£350/day CIS)
- Industrial/COMPEX (£40,000-£50,000 PAYE, £280-£350+/day CIS)
- Data centres (£42,000-£55,000 PAYE, £350-£450+/day CIS)
- Utilities/High Voltage (£45,000-£60,000 PAYE, £400-£600+/day CIS)
- Renewables/EV charging (£35,000-£45,000 PAYE, £250-£350/day CIS, 5-10% growth above baseline)
That flexibility matters. If one region or sector slows down, qualified electricians can pivot. Bricklayers with 342 vacancies nationally have far less room to manoeuvre.
For apprentices and career changers, this means proper electrical qualifications offer long-term job security across multiple pathways. You’re not locked into one employer, one region, or one type of work.
The Training Investment Decision
If you’re comparing vocational training options, these vacancy numbers should influence where you invest time and money.
Electrician Training (Full Pathway):
- Cost: £10,000+ (NVQ package, excluding PPE, tools, AM2 fee)
- Time: 18 months to 3 years (depending on route)
- Vacancies: 3,983 nationally
- Median salary once qualified: £39,039 (ONS 2025)
- Long-term outlook: Structural growth driven by Net Zero, electrification, and grid upgrades
Bricklaying Training:
- Cost: £3,000-£6,000 (shorter courses available)
- Time: 6-12 months (faster than electrical)
- Vacancies: 342 nationally
- Median salary once qualified: £30,000-£35,000
- Long-term outlook: Cyclical, tied to housebuilding and economic conditions
The numbers don’t lie. Electrician training costs more and takes longer, but leads into a market with 11.6 times more vacancies and stronger long-term growth prospects.
Bricklaying is faster and cheaper to train for, but the current labour market offers far fewer opportunities.
For career changers, especially those over 25 funding their own training, the investment decision should be informed by these vacancy ratios. Training providers might push any course to get enrolments. You need to look at actual employer demand, not marketing claims.
What Elec Training Does Differently
Most training providers deliver classroom teaching, issue a certificate, and wish you luck. Elec Training operates an in-house recruitment team that makes over 100 calls per student to 120+ partner contractors across the UK.
That means:
✔ Guaranteed placement support for NVQ portfolios (not just a job board link)
✔ Direct employer relationships in domestic, commercial, industrial, and specialist sectors
✔ Real-time labour market insight based on daily employer conversations
✔ Ongoing support from classroom through to employment
When vacancy numbers are this high, proper placement support is the difference between completing your NVQ in 18 months and struggling to find site hours for 3+ years.
Electrician training at Elec Training includes:
- Level 2 Electrical Installations (2365-02)
- Level 3 Electrical Installations (2365-03)
- 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (2382-22)
- NVQ Level 3 Electrical Installation (2357, on-site portfolio)
- AM2 practical exam preparation
- ECS Gold Card application support
- Optional: 2391 Inspection & Testing
Call us on 0330 822 5337 to discuss electrician training pathways, qualification requirements, and how our in-house recruitment team secures placements with UK contractors. No hype. No unrealistic promises. Just practical guidance from people who’ve placed hundreds of learners into this 3,983-vacancy market.
Visit www.elec.training to see full course details, pricing, and available start dates across our West Midlands training centres.
References
- Indeed UK Job Search (Accessed 1 December 2025): https://www.indeed.co.uk
- Reed UK Job Search (Accessed 1 December 2025): https://www.reed.co.uk
- Totaljobs UK Job Search (Accessed 1 December 2025): https://www.totaljobs.com
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025: https://www.ons.gov.uk
- Office for National Statistics Labour Market Statistics: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket
- JIB Wage Rates 2025-2026: https://www.jib.org.uk
- SJIB Wage Rates 2025 (Scotland): https://www.sjib.org.uk
- UK Government Net Zero Strategy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy
- Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government Housing Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-statistics
Note on Accuracy and Updates
Last reviewed: 3 December 2025. This page is maintained; we correct errors and refresh vacancy data quarterly as labour market conditions change. Job board numbers fluctuate daily, but the structural demand gap between electricians and other trades has remained consistent throughout 2024-2025.Â
