As workplaces across the UK gear up for the festive season, new research reveals a worrying trend: tradespeople are entering the busiest period of the year already stretched thin by stress, burnout, and fatigue. The findings, published in Jackson Woodturners’ UK State of The Trades Report, raise important questions about how businesses can better support wellbeing and engagement among the nation’s skilled workers.
According to the report, nine in ten tradespeople have felt stressed at some point this year. This alone is significant, and when combined with the additional pressures of winter, shorter days, challenging weather conditions, and increased workloads, it becomes more concerning.
- 37% say they feel more stressed as Christmas approaches.
- 27% report higher levels of burnout.
- 23% feel pressure to take on extra work to manage festive financial demands.
For many, December represents a perfect storm: customers wanting jobs completed before Christmas, intense workloads, and personal pressures outside of work.
A longstanding concern for the sector
The research highlights how widespread mental strain has become across the trades. Nine in ten tradespeople have felt stressed at some point this year, with many also reporting burnout, anxiety and loneliness.
A quarter experience anxiety weekly, and two-thirds have battled symptoms of depression during 2025.
This echoes national findings showing that those working in the construction space are four times more likely to suffer mental health issues than the UK average, according to charity Mates in Mind. Yet nearly 70% of tradespeople say they’ve never accessed therapy or formal mental-health support.
Men make up the majority of the UK’s skilled trades workforce (women are only around 2-4% of this and only 15% across the broader sector according to ElecTraining), so despite these concerning figures in the report, it’s unsurprising that poor mental health is so prevalent in the industry. Three out of four deaths by suicide are male (76%), with suicide being the biggest killer of men in the UK. This is at a rate of 14 men per day, and whilst gendered these deaths affect everyone as they are not just men, they are husbands, partners, dads, brothers, sons and more. Leaving families wondering why did this happen.
Dr Luke Sullivan, Clinical Psychologist and Founder at Men’s Minds Matter has shared guidance on how all tradespeople can look after their mental health during the festive season:
Learn to spot early warning signals
Take the time to know yourself and notice any physical and emotional cues that might be a result of stress. Irritability, tension, fatigue, difficulty switching off are all common indicators to act and make changes. They’re your body telling you something is off, not signs of weakness.
Assess your load, not your limit
Stress often reflects excessive demands, not a lack of resilience. Examine what’s on your plate both personally and professionally and adjust the weight before questioning your capacity or capabilities. It’s a good idea to review your new year plans now too, so you’re not struggling into the new year.
Redistribute, don’t internalise
You don’t have to carry everything alone. Delegate, share, or ask for help in finding another way. Whether that’s at work, at home, or with friends. Even small redistributions of responsibility or calling in additional resources can release a lot of pressure.
Protect your boundaries
Protect your personal time, family time, and rest. Boundaries are essential — they’re not selfish, they’re protective. Make space for the things that replenish you and treat that time as non-negotiable. Deciding what you are willing to give creates boundaries and helps you recognise when you have crossed them.
Talk before you tip
You don’t have to wait until things fall apart to speak up. Talk early and openly about how you’re feeling. Sharing takes the weight off and gives others the chance to step in before the load becomes too heavy. If you’re not sure where to start, visit www.mensmindsmatter.org for self-help resources, guides, and training opportunities. You may also find support through organisations like Band of Builders.
Why this matters for employee engagement
Sustained stress and burnout erode engagement, motivation, job satisfaction, and performance. As the trades sector is already battling skills shortages: creating supportive, empathetic workplaces is critical for retention, long-term sustainability and wellbeing.
This research is a reminder that employee engagement and mental health cannot be separated, particularly in sectors where workers face seasonal, environmental, and financial pressures. Employers who invest in wellbeing now will benefit from healthier teams and stronger engagement well into the new year.
Author: Bethany Hibbert – Founder & PR Consultant, Pitchpoint Comms
Photo credit: StockCake
