More installers than ever say they would potentially consider leaving the industry, according to a recent study.
This finding comes from the British Institute of KBB Installation (BiKBBI)’s annual state of the industry survey, which found that roughly two-thirds (66%) of installers would be tempted to leave the industry if the circumstances were right – a significant increase (6%) over the number in last year’s survey.
When asked why they would consider switching industries, the biggest motivator was reportedly financial rewards (44%), followed by perceived better opportunities in other industries (30%) and the fact that other industries seem less complex (10%).
Additionally, roughly half (48%) of installers were worried that their work streams would reduce over the next 12 months, which is an increase of 5% from last year’s figure.
As well as concerns around workloads, the majority of installers (65%) said they were either “concerned”, or “very concerned”, about their business in the next 12 months. This is also an increase over last year’s figure of 4%. Only 6% said they were “unconcerned”, while almost 30% said they felt indifferently about the topic.
When asked about their biggest business concern, nine-in-10 installers named the economy or rising operating costs. Fewer than 1% said that supply chain issues were their biggest concern, which is a considerable drop from last year, where the supply chain was the biggest concern of almost 5% of those polled.
In light of installers’ worries about the economic future of their business, an overwhelming majority (86%) feel like the Government also isn’t doing enough to support their business.
However, on a more positive note, roughly one-in-five installers reported noticing an increase in customers asking questions about environmentally-friendly products.
On the topic of sustainability, however, installers seem to be mixed. A slim majority (56%) feel the industry isn’t doing enough to reduce its environmental impact. This is also up by about 15% over last year’s figure.
BiKBBI’s state of the industry results were collected in December 2023, and published for the first time at the organisation’s annual industry conference, last week. As well as these survey results, BiKBBI’s chief executive officer, Damian Walters, said he feels the KBB industry is failing in its direct support of apprentices, despite significant action by providers.
