According to the latest BiKBBI research, three quarters of installers are now aged 45 and over, with CEO Damian Walters saying the skills crisis is clearly “deepening and worsening” with each passing year.
In its annual installation survey for 2025, the British Institute of Kitchen Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) said almost two-thirds of working UK installers fall within the 45-64 age bracket.
Specifically, only 6% of installers are aged 25-34, 19% are aged between 35 and 44, both the 45-54 and 55-64 age brackets make up 33% of installers each, and 9% of installers are aged over 65 years.
Looking at this last group in particular, the BiKBBI says the number of installers who are aged over-65 has risen by 3.6% year-on-year.
Of all the survey participants that BiKBBI polled, less than one-in-ten installers said they entered the trade in the last five to ten years.
Discussing these statistics, BiKBBI CEO Damian Walters insisted: “We need to do more as an industry to attract new talent into our sector – this will not only close the skills gap in order to meet the needs of the consumer and the Government’s construction targets, but it will also reduce the risk that the current ageing workforce poses for manufacturers, distributors and retailers.”
The BiKBBI also asked installers about what they considered their biggest business challenge was. The majority of installers (26.6%) said their major concern was higher operating costs. This was followed by “fewer inquiries” (24.7%), “cost of materials” (13.6%), and “hiring staff” (9.4%).
Speaking of generating inquiries, almost half of installers (49%) said that they used social media to promote their business to prospective clients. 44% of those asked said they also used a website, and just 7% said they promoted their business via local radio or newspapers.
For those using social media, almost half of those asked said Facebook was the most popular platform to promote their services through (48%). This was followed up by Instagram which was preferred by 28.5% of installers, LinkedIn by 13.6%, and TikTok by 5.7%.
“We talk regularly about the ageing workforce and the lack of new talent entering the sector,” Walters explained, “but it becomes a very real concern each year when the statistics show the same issues and challenges deepening and worsening.
“This year the findings highlighted that installation businesses continue to battle with increased operating costs and the price of materials, compounded by a decline in customer enquiries.
“For the first time, respondents also cited their relationship with retailers as a challenge which isn’t all that surprising when you consider that many installation businesses will be reliant on work from retail showrooms, so when the likes of household names such as Homebase fall into administration, it does impact the sentiment and confidence from installers.”
In related news, at last year’s BiKBBI conference, a senior manager from Wickes warned that the KBB industry will shortly face a mass exodus of installers, as approximately half of the installer workforce is likely to retire in the next five years.
