Break the Stigma: Mental Health in the Skilled Trades

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place in the UK from Monday 15th May - Sunday 21st May. To raise awareness about mental health issues in the trades, Ironmongery Direct submit a yearly report in collaboration with the mental health charity, Mind, to reveal important and shocking statistics about mental health in the trade industry. 

In this blog, we'll break down the key findings of their insightful report in an attempt to make mental health support more accessible to our students in the trade industry.

The Important Statistics

4 in 5 tradespeople (84%) experience mental health issues due to their job.

Tradespeople between 18 and 24 years old are more likely to face mental health challenges with 89% of them reporting mental health issues each year.

But those aged 35-44 face these conditions most often with 1 in 10 struggling with mental health issues on a daily basis.

In comparison to last year's results, the cost of living crisis has revealed that self-employed tradespeople are more likely to have mental health issues in comparison to those working for an employer. This could be due to the increased difficulty of navigating the UK's financial landscape, and also because they are less likely to take time off of work, which makes the situation even worse.

Why Are Tradespeople So Stressed?

According to this 2023 report, these are the top 5 reasons why tradespeople feel so stressed within the trade industry:

• Cost of living crisis (39%)

• Rising costs of material/equipment (36%)

• Financial issues (28%)

• Tensions with customers (20%)

• Pressure to do the best job for the customer (17%)

When we take a look at the results of this mental health report, it's clear to see the stressful impact of the cost of living crisis. With tradespeople already working long hours and days, the cost of living has forced some tradespeople into over-working which is hardly a sustainable solution. This inevitably leads to burnout, and mental health struggles.

Where to Find Support for Tradeworkers 

A shocking 9 in 10 trade workers said that they don't know how to access mental health support services. As a provider of trade training courses, it is our job to ensure that our students know how and where to find useful and effective support for any mental health issues they may be dealing with. 

When you enrol onto one of our trade courses, we offer guaranteed career support throughout your course and for up to 3 years after your initial enrolment. If you have any issues you'd rather discuss with an external company, we strongly recommend using the contacts below: 

Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity 

CALL 0345 605 1956 (UK) or 1800 939 122 (ROI)

TEXT HARDHAT to 85258 (UK) or 50808 (ROI)

OR REQUEST a call or an email here.

The Samaritans

CALL 116 123

EMAIL jo@samaritans.org

Mind

CALL 0300 123 3393

EMAIL info@mind.org