Demand for Trades Surges: Driving Instructors and Fitness Professionals Lead the Charge

Returning to work after a summer break has become a catalyst for career changes, with analysis of government data revealing the ten most in-demand self-employed trades across Britain.

Analysis of Office for National Statistics figures on new job adverts, conducted by business insurer Protectivity, has identified roles experiencing the most significant growth over the past year. The findings suggest a strong demand for skilled individuals looking to become their own bosses.

Top Performing Trades

Driving instructors have emerged at the top of the list, with job adverts increasing by 58 percent in the past year. This surge is attributed to persistent test-booking backlogs since the pandemic, an aging instructor population, and a growing number of young drivers.

Following closely are market and street traders, who saw a 48 percent increase in job adverts, and childminders, with a 40 percent rise. The construction sector also shows high demand, with bricklayers, floorers, tilers, and plasterers in high demand as more homeowners opt for renovations over moving.

Fitness Industry Boom

The fitness industry is experiencing a notable boom, with an 18 percent surge in adverts for fitness instructors compared to the previous year. This trend is largely driven by the exploding popularity of reformer pilates.

Protectivity's internal data further supports this, showing a 948 percent increase in insurance policies taken out by businesses offering reformer pilates classes over the past year. Other fitness-related fields also saw strong growth, with martial arts up 167 percent, kickboxing up 159 percent, and boxercise up 135 percent. This indicates that the fitness sector is struggling to recruit instructors quickly enough to meet the rising demand.

The Rise of Self-Employment

Britain's self-employed economy continues its upward trajectory. The number of sole traders increased by 5 percent in the past year alone and has risen by 17 percent since 2010. Small businesses now employ 16.9 million people and contribute significantly to the economy with a turnover of £2.8 trillion annually.

This growing appetite for self-employment is also reflected in online search trends, with searches for 'register for self employment' increasing by 36 percent over the past quarter.

Chris Trotman, head of sales and underwriting at Protectivity, commented on the findings, stating, 'Our research shows that there's a genuine window of opportunity right now for people with the right skills to go it alone and find work waiting for them, across multiple industries, from bricklaying to floristry.' He added that demand for fitness instructors is growing at more than double the rate of new businesses entering the industry, with reformer pilates showing unprecedented growth in new instructors setting up over the last year.