Alternative work: The trades most in demand revealed

With the spiralling cost of university education putting many young people off pursuing higher education (due to the debt incurred), many are turning to more practical trades. But which trades should people be seeking apprenticeships for?

A March 2026 report on the UK job market found electricians to be most in demand among all skilled trades. This comes from the firm Tradefix Direct, a family-run fixings and fastenings distributor who have provided the findings to Digital Journal.

The assessment reveals which vocations offer British workers the best opportunities and pay rates.

The research examined 25 skilled trades across Britain’s labour market to find which professions offer the best opportunities. The report tracked annual job openings, measured whether each trade is growing or declining, and looked at online search interest, showing how many people compete for roles. It also calculated hourly pay by dividing yearly salaries by working hours. These factors were combined into an Opportunity Index from 1 to 99, where higher scores mean better career prospects.

The top 10 most in-demand trades in the UK

As the table shows, the electrician profession is Britain’s most in-demand trade right now. The sector opens nearly 10K positions each year, more than any vocation except painters. The pay is also decent, as most British electricians make around £21 per hour, earning £45K annually on average. The shifts usually are not long either, lasting 37 to 45 hours weekly. 

Following electricians, plumbers come second with 6,500 annual job openings across the country. Like in the case of electricians, this trade stays in demand as new housing developments need fresh installations and ageing systems require replacement. Plumbers in the UK typically earn £40K, working 40+ hours per week for an hourly rate of £18. While this pays a little less, the job is pretty steady and doesn’t face seasonal slowdowns. 

Bricklaying offers some of the best pay in construction at £46K yearly. People working in this sector earn £21+ for a 37-45-hour workweek, beating most other building trades in hourly wages. Britain needs 5,800 bricklayers annually, and that demand keeps growing. Over 4.6 million people searched for bricklaying work online in the past year, but the job is physically demanding, and many don’t follow through, leaving opportunities for those willing to do the work.

Carpentry and joinery take fourth place as another growing vocation. Every year, construction and home renovation companies post 3,200 job openings for this role. The woodwork trade pays quite well too, with typical British carpenters earning £42K yearly. Their craft usually requires 40+ hours of work every week, which equals around £18.60 an hour. 

Plastering rounds out the top five trades in the UK, with 4,500 openings yearly. Despite so many job postings, few people are interested in this craft, with search interest three times less than for woodwork. Yet, the tradespersons doing plastering make around £46K annually, around £4K more than carpenters. Plus, they get to work slightly fewer hours at 35 to 43 hours per week. 

Not all manual work is doing well. Trades like welding and maintenance fitting are declining because factories are automating. Meanwhile, hands-on work that needs human judgment, like electrical installations or plumbing repairs, cannot be automated.