UK Short 59,000 Plumbers and Heating Engineers — And 85% of Existing Plumbers Say Demand Is Overwhelming
What happened
The UK is short roughly 59,000 plumbers and heating engineers, and the gap is widening as heat pump rollouts and retrofit programmes accelerate, according to 2026 labour market data compiled by Approach Personnel.
Plumbers are now among the trades worst hit by the wider shortage, with 85% of existing plumbers reporting the squeeze is directly affecting their business. Nearly a third (31%) of all UK tradespeople cite the skills shortage as the single biggest pressure on their business in 2026, and 24% say they are actively understaffed.
The pipeline is thin. Fewer than 19% of UK construction workers are under 25, while 35% are over 50 — with roughly 750,000 expected to retire by 2036. The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has flagged that the sector will need around 41,600 new plumbers by 2033 just to meet Net Zero and housebuilding targets.
What this means for tradespeople
On the surface, this sounds like unambiguously good news: sky-high demand, not enough supply, quote whatever you want.
In practice, it's more nuanced. When every plumber in an area is booked up for three weeks, the customer still has to pick one — and they pick fast. A homeowner with a leaking combi isn't calling eight numbers and comparing. They're searching "emergency plumber near me", scanning the map pack, and ringing whoever has the most reviews and the best star rating.
This is where reviews quietly decide winners. A Gas Safe engineer with 87 Google reviews at 4.9 stars gets the first call. The one with 9 reviews at 4.2 gets called third, after the first two say "we can't come for ten days". By the time the third plumber's phone rings, the job has often already been quoted and accepted elsewhere.
It also matters for pricing. With demand this tight, reviews are what let you charge what you're worth without the customer haggling. A plumber with a strong review profile feels like the safe choice — and safe choices get quoted at the top of the range.
What to do about it
- If you're Gas Safe registered, make sure your certification is visible on your profile, in your reviews, and on your van.
- Every boiler service, breakdown, and annual safety check is a review opportunity. 100+ jobs a year should produce 30+ new reviews if you're asking.
- TapReview is a £9/month tool that sends automated review requests via WhatsApp and SMS after every job — built specifically for plumbers and heating engineers who are too busy on the tools to chase reviews manually.
Source: Approach Personnel — Most In-Demand Trades for 2026 and Installer Online — Three quarters of tradespeople concerned about skills shortage