Fix Radio’s key predictions for 2026:

• Modest growth will be limited by labour shortages, not demand
• Firms will turn down work due to lack of skilled people and burnout
• Tool theft and rising costs will continue to undermine delivery and cash flow
• Businesses that protect skills, security and wellbeing will outperform those chasing volume

Industry forecasts suggest construction output could edge up in 2026, but Fix Radio’s view, shaped by daily on-air conversations with trades across the UK, is that growth on paper will not translate into jobs completed on site unless labour pressures ease.

The Construction Products Association (CPA) forecasts total construction output growth of 2.8% in 2026, with infrastructure expected to rise by 4.4% and private housing by around 4.0%. (Construction Products Association, 2025)

Fix Radio’s prediction for 2026 is that the biggest challenge will not be winning work, but having the people, time and resilience to deliver it. Labour shortages, rising costs, tool theft and burnout dominated trade conversations throughout 2025, and those pressures remain unresolved heading into next year.

Trade research across the sector shows seven in ten tradespeople say skills shortages are stopping them from expanding, while 79% say rising materials and tool costs make growth unviable even when order books are full. (Checkatrade, 2025)

The labour picture remains tight. Screwfix warns the UK could face a shortfall of around 250,000 tradespeople by 2030, and reports that 25% of tradespeople plan to retire within the next five years. (Screwfix, 2025)

Security has become a parallel constraint. Direct Line research indicates almost four in five tradespeople (79%) have experienced tool theft at some point. (Direct Line Group, 2025) Each incident results in downtime, missed jobs and immediate income loss, particularly for sole traders and small firms.

Burnout is now part of the same delivery problem. Industry wellbeing research found 91% of tradespeople experienced work-related stress in the last year, with 56% experiencing it at least once a week. (IronmongeryDirect, 2025) Fix Radio’s view is that pushing longer hours on shrinking crews is no longer sustainable and is actively reducing output.

The impact is already visible to homeowners. A Markel Direct survey of 1,187 UK homeowners found nearly half struggled to find an available tradesperson, while 52% said they had been turned away by fully booked firms. (Markel Direct, 2025; Electrical Times, 2025) The issue is not lack of demand, but lack of capacity to take work on safely and profitably.

According to Louis Timpany, CEO of Fix Radio, 2026 will not be won by the firms doing the longest hours, but by those able to retain skilled people, protect wellbeing, secure their tools and plan jobs realistically. Skills, security and mental health are no longer optional, they are now fundamental to making work possible.

Fix Radio’s latest published audience figures show it reaches 833,545 weekly listeners, with listeners tuning in for an average of 27.9 hours per week. (RadioToday, 2025) Its prediction for 2026 is clear: demand may improve, but delivery will get harder unless the workforce is protected.