The Biggest Concerns In The Trades Industry 2026

The Hidden Pressures: What Really Keeps Tradespeople Up at Night

Podcasts are everywhere. Over the past decade, they’ve quietly become part of everyday life. The days of describing them as “basically a radio show you can listen to whenever you want” are long gone - now, pretty much everyone has one. From Ant and Dec to Gary Lineker, Michelle Obama to probably someone down your local, the podcast world is as crowded as Piccadilly Circus in rush hour.

And there’s a podcast for everything too. Sport, history and politics sit alongside even the more niche of topics - even cereal has its own series (and no, we’re not confused with Serial, one of the original true crime podcasts. Oh look! Another category.). But one topic that has consistently dominated the health, fitness and longevity genre in recent years is sleep.

Sleep, and more specifically the quality of it, is often cited as one of the biggest factors affecting overall health. The general advice? Aim for seven to nine hours a night. Stick to a routine. Invest in a mattress that suits you. Make sure your pillows are right. Keep the room temperature in that ‘Goldilocks zone’ - not too hot, not too cold.

But even with the perfect setup, there’s one thing no mattress can fix - a busy mind. If something’s playing on your mind, it doesn’t matter how good your sleep hygiene is - you’re still staring at the ceiling.

Rising Costs

As part of our 2026 Customer Survey, we asked tradespeople a simple question: what’s your biggest concern about your trade right now?

Of the 1,194 who responded, 21.11% said rising costs are pricing customers and businesses out of work. Inflation has touched almost every part of daily life. Costs are up at home and on site, and that pressure is being felt on both sides of the job.

For customers, disposable income has tightened. Savings don’t stretch as far, and non-essential work is often delayed or scaled back. At the same time, businesses are facing higher material costs, increased supplier prices and rising overheads.

Put the two together and it creates a difficult balancing act. Customers want prices kept as low as possible, while tradespeople need to increase rates just to protect already squeezed margins. Many are left stuck in the middle - absorb the extra cost to remain competitive while household budgets are tight, or stand firm on pricing and risk losing the work altogether. Factor it all in, and you can understand why it’s the biggest concern amongst tradespeople at the moment.

Tool Theft

It probably comes as little surprise to see tool theft rank highly as well with 19.6% of the votes cast. Plenty has been written and spoken about the impact of tool theft on the industry. There have been marches in London, visits to Parliament, events held and countless awareness campaigns launched, yet it still remains a significant issue within the industry.

For many, this feels like an ever-present risk - over 80% of customers surveyed were fearful that their tools would be stolen, and when they are, it’s not just the cost of replacing them. It’s the cancelled jobs, the downtime, the stress, and the knock-on impact to your income. It disrupts everything. Tool Insurance can go some way to helping get you back on the tools, but doesn't prevent the initial theft. You can read more in our guide here.

Mental health, stress and work-life balance

What’s particularly telling is that 15.08% highlighted mental health, stress and work–life balance as their biggest concern. The physical demands of the job, long hours, cashflow pressure and the responsibility of running a business all add up. The old “just crack on” mentality is fading, and rightly so.

There’s growing awareness of the impact mental health has on men across the UK, and that message is resonating within the trades. Encouragingly, more people recognise that earning a living shouldn’t come at the expense of their wellbeing. For anyone struggling, our partners Band of Builders offer a 24/7 text helpline to support those facing mental health challenges. You can read more about it here.

Injury or illness

A further 13.23% said injury or illness forcing them off the tools is a major worry. Self-employment brings freedom, but it also brings risk. If you’re not working, you’re not earning. A few days off might be manageable — but what if it turns into weeks or months?

Products like Personal Accident Insurance and Income Protection Insurance exist to help bridge that financial gap, offering some reassurance in uncertain situations.

Interestingly, concerns about work drying up or competition from other tradespeople were lower down the list, at 11.73% and 6.62% respectively. And material costs (7.45%) and regulatory compliance (5.19%) also caused some concern, but they weren’t front and centre.

The bigger issues are the ones that feel harder to control - inflation, security, health and stability. And when you look at it all together, it’s no wonder sleep can suffer. You can have the perfect mattress, the right pillow and a room set to the ideal temperature but if rising costs, tool theft or financial uncertainty are on your mind, switching off isn’t always easy.

A breakdown of the 2026 Customer Survey results can be found here.