New data has revealed that the construction industry is running flat out while confidence in security, margins and wellbeing slips.
The 2025 Q4 report from TradeBrain, powered by On The Tools, is based on responses from 2,080 UK tradespeople.
Almost four in ten tradespeople said stress or difficulty switching off is likely to affect them in the next year. Nearly a third are worried about low mood or mental health issues. On The Tools noted that both figures are higher than last quarter.
Almost 30% of tradespeople reported that they don’t know what their next job will be worth, making it harder to plan, invest or say no to risky work. Day rates are holding steady, as most charge between £150 and £249 a day. However, the research found that rising costs of materials and irregular workloads mean annual incomes remain flat.
Lee Wilcox, co-founder and CEO of On The Tools, said: “On paper, construction looks busy. On site, it feels very different. There’s still work coming through, but fewer jobs are paying what they used to – and that’s hitting people hard when everything from fuel to food has gone up again.
“The wider economy’s still putting pressure on household budgets, and trades are caught in the middle: facing higher material costs, tighter margins, and record levels of stress. They’re grafting hard just to stay steady, but the gap between the headlines and what’s actually happening on site is where the real pressure sits.”
The data also showed that behaviour shifting as tradespeople are being extra careful with spending. They are spreading purchases across multiple merchants and placing more weight on quality, guarantees and service, not just price.
On The Tools reported that TradeBrain’s latest Pulse suggested growth on paper doesn’t automatically translate into confidence within the trade. It noted that without better margins, clearer visibility of job values and stronger support for mental health, “busy” risks becoming the new normal.