Electricians, plumbers, and finishing carpenters are the roles our clients wait longest for. Why, and what shortens the wait.
Across the requests we receive, three trades consistently take longer to fill than the rest: certified electricians, maintenance plumbers, and finishing carpenters. The reason is the same in all three cases, and it is not a shortage of people.
Certification, not headcount
There is no shortage of workers who describe themselves as electricians. There is a shortage of workers who hold a recognised trade certificate that will survive verification. Employers who accept an uncertified electrician are accepting a liability, so the effective pool is much smaller than the apparent one.
Maintenance is a different job to installation
A plumber who has spent five years on new-build first fix is not automatically able to trace a leak in an occupied hotel without shutting down a floor. Employers ask for "a plumber" and receive one, and then discover it is the wrong half of the trade. Splitting the request in two at the start solves this entirely.
Finishing carpentry is scarce because it is judged at handover
Shuttering carpenters are relatively plentiful. Finishing carpenters who can hang a door to tolerance and deliver joinery a client will sign off on are not. This is the single most common source of rework we hear about on fit-out projects.
What shortens the wait
Be specific about which half of a trade you need, accept video-based practical assessment as part of shortlisting, and confirm selections quickly. Employers who do all three routinely fill these roles in half the time of employers who do none of them.
