Revealed: The most in demand tradespeople in Exeter and the South West
UK households have made more than half a million (580,920)1 searches online for local tradespeople in the first half of this year and now new research reveals the most in demand trades in Exeter and the Southwest.
The study conducted by Compare Companies, which helps people find a tradesperson to compare prices for their home improvements, analysed search data online and found that plumbers are the most sought-after in the city and region.
UK households have made 110,000 searches for plumbers in 2023, which represents 19% of all online trade enquiries.
In fact, among the top 25 list of tradespeople in the UK’s largest towns, cities and regions, plumbers are the most coveted tradespeople with 5400 searches a month in the South, 3600 in the Midlands, 2900 in the Southwest and 1900 searches in Manchester alone.
The second highest search for a tradesperson online in Exeter is for a Locksmith (74,000), followed by an Electrician in third (60,500), Roofers in fourth place (40,500) and Landscape Gardeners in fifth place (33,100).
More than 27,100 people often search for a Handyman and 22,200 people often search for Cleaners, Plasterers, or Tree Surgeons. Meanwhile, 18,100 people search for Joiners or Carpenters, respectively.
Andy Royle, Managing Director of Compare Companies, explains: “Thousands of people have turned to professional tradespeople this year to help them turn their home improvement visions into a reality.
“At Compare Companies, we’ve seen a natural increase of 10% in quotes for tradespeople compared to last year, so there’s definitely a rise in demand for home improvement services despite the cost-of-living crisis.
“It’s interesting to see where the most sought-after skills are right now in Exeter and the Southwest. Overall, we’ve seen the most demand for plumbers and electricians and we put that down to them being available for home emergencies and necessary fixes that won’t wait.”
The most in-demand trades are:
Methodology: SEMRush Search Volume data was analysed between January to May 2023 – comparing search volumes for the top 25 tradespeople over the first half of the year to date.
