How to become a builder in the UK
By The Busy Busy Index team · Updated 10 November 2026 · Every figure links to its source
Is there demand?
Quieter Extension waits were long (median 10 weeks, TradeMatch, to Q1 2026), but FMB's newer survey shows builders' workloads (-4) and enquiries (-10) turned negative in H1 2026.
What it pays
We have no verified salary figure for this trade yet.
Routes in
- Apprenticeship: Level 2 General Builder Apprenticeship (newly approved, per FMB)
Source: FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026. We haven't yet verified a National Careers Service profile for this trade.
Key figures for builders
| Where | Measure | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Change in number of businesses, year on year House building businesses, year-on-year change | -7% | Year to mid-2025 | Markel Direct via Fix Radio, 15 Jul 2025 |
| UK | Builders' employment (net balance) Jul-Dec 2025 | +17 | H2 2025 (Jul-Dec) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| UK | Builders' employment (net balance) | -4 | H1 2026 (Jan-Jun) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026 |
| UK | Builders' enquiries (net balance) Jul-Dec 2025 | +18 | H2 2025 (Jul-Dec) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| UK | Builders' enquiries (net balance) | -10 | H1 2026 (Jan-Jun) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026 |
| UK | Builders reporting higher material costs 61% passed costs on to customers | 75% | H2 2025 | Construction Management, 1 Apr 2026 |
| UK | Builders reporting higher material costs | 75% | H1 2026 | FMB Scotland, 10 Nov 2026 |
| UK | Median wait to start (weeks) Capacity status per TradeMatch: Tight | 10 weeks | Q3 2025 to Q1 2026 | TradeMatch Wait-Time Index, 21 Apr 2026 |
| UK | Slowest 10% wait (weeks) 90th-percentile wait | 16 weeks | Q3 2025 to Q1 2026 | TradeMatch Wait-Time Index, 21 Apr 2026 |
| UK | SME builders hit by skills shortages | 72% | H2 2025 (Jul-Dec) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| UK | SME builders hit by skills shortages Earlier reading, quoted by Construction Management | 61% | H1 2025 | Construction Management, 1 Apr 2026 |
| UK | SME builders hit by skills shortages | 68% | H1 2026 (Jan-Jun) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026 |
| UK | SME builders whose growth was prevented | 18% | H1 2026 (Jan-Jun) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026 |
| UK | SME builders with cancelled jobs | 22% | H2 2025 (Jul-Dec) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| UK | SME builders with cancelled jobs | 21% | H1 2026 (Jan-Jun) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026 |
| UK | SME builders with delayed jobs | 49% | H2 2025 (Jul-Dec) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| UK | SME builders with delayed jobs | 47% | H1 2026 (Jan-Jun) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026 |
| UK | SME builders that paused expansion | 30% | H2 2025 (Jul-Dec) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| UK | Builders' workloads (net balance) Jul-Dec 2025 | +22 | H2 2025 (Jul-Dec) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| UK | Builders' workloads (net balance) | -4 | H1 2026 (Jan-Jun) | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026 |
| England | Builders' enquiries (net balance) | +19 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Scotland | Builders' enquiries (net balance) | +16 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Wales | Builders' enquiries (net balance) | +14 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Northern Ireland | Builders' enquiries (net balance) | +12 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Scotland | Builders' enquiries (net balance) Only UK nation where enquiries rose | +9 | H1 2026 | FMB Scotland, 10 Nov 2026 |
| Wales | Builders' enquiries (net balance) | -8 | H1 2026 | FMB Cymru, 10 Nov 2026 |
| England | Builders' workloads (net balance) | +22 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Scotland | Builders' workloads (net balance) | +28 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Wales | Builders' workloads (net balance) | +7 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Northern Ireland | Builders' workloads (net balance) | +35 | H2 2025 | FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026 |
| Scotland | Builders' workloads (net balance) | +31 | H1 2026 | FMB Scotland, 10 Nov 2026 |
| England | Builders' workloads (net balance) | -9 | H1 2026 | FMB Scotland, 10 Nov 2026 |
| Wales | Builders' workloads (net balance) | +14 | H1 2026 | FMB Cymru, 10 Nov 2026 |
What the wider market is doing
Across construction, demand is softening: the UK Construction PMI was 43.6 in October 2026 (S&P Global UK Construction PMI, 5 Nov 2026) and the CPA expects private housing repair, maintenance and improvement work to fall 8% in 2026 (CPA Autumn forecasts, 26 Oct 2026). Training takes time, so it's worth thinking about where demand will be when you qualify, not just today. See all demand signals.
Courses and published prices
We haven't yet verified published course prices for this trade. Course providers can get in touch.