Beating Brexit for Tradesmen – Why Qualified And Reputable Tradesmen Will Be Ok.

Brexit for Irish Tradesmen and Builders will be Ok no matter what happens.

It’s wall to wall Brexit at the moment. While MP’s in Westminster continue throwing their toys around, the more serious folk in the EU are slowly tightening the screw. It would be fascinating to watch if the stakes for Irish Consumers, Tradesmen and builders simply weren’t so high.

Inevitably all the Brexit confusion has fostered mass opinion – “The Irish construction sector is doomed”, “Consumers will have less money to spend”, “Irish Tradesmen to feel impacts” etc. Paper never refuses ink and tasty headlines are designed to sell papers.

However, the facts are simply this – nobody knows yet whether Brexit will actually happen, or if it does, what type it will be - Hard, soft or sunny side up! 

Who to believe?

Deciding on what to read or believe in to understand Brexit is an art in itself. Strip back all the opinions however and you are left with the data. No better authority on data than the ERSI (The Economic and Social Research Institute) – a non-political data powerhouse whose sole purpose is to generate impartial and useful research.

Unfortunately, their latest research does not paint a pretty picture for a ‘Post-Brexit’ Irish economy – but before you are tempted to buy that plane ticket – remember these projections are still based on a number of unknowns. 

What Post-Brexit Ireland would look like

The ESRI is projecting that the shock of Brexit will have ‘negative effects for Irish households, businesses, jobs and government finances’. 
Their estimates are that either a deal or no-deal Brexit (i.e any Brexit at all) will impact the Irish economy between €1.8bn and €7.5bn in 2019 alone, with somewhere between 45,000 – 80,000 less jobs in 10 years’ time across Ireland. Gulp. 

Are you a qualified tradesman, trade pro or builder ? Schedule a call with one of our sales reps to see how Onlinetradesmen can support your business.

What Brexit means for Irish Tradesmen and Builders

Still here? Good – because translating that into what we believe it means for the average tradesman, builder or trade professional takes some explaining.  

A Brexit would inevitably slow down the home improvement and general construction sectors. Think 2008-recession--lite. Homeowners would have less disposable income and therefore less to spend on home improvements. This would certainly impact the volume of available work for tradesmen and builders. 

Why Qualified and Reputable Tradesmen will be Ok

However if the 2008 recession tells us anything, it’s that the cream always rises. There would be casualties in the post-Brexit Ireland, but Qualified and reputable tradesmen would still be in demand. A post-Brexit will result in consumers becoming choosier - ensuring that contractors are qualified with proof of having delivering excellent customer service to homeowners. Tradesmen who are unable to live with that may indeed choose to jump on that plane. 

The ultimate result is a somewhat smaller pool of work, for a smaller (but better quality) pool of tradesmen and builders. If you’re good at what you can do (and can prove it) you would be Ok!

How does Onlinetradesmen know this?

Onlinetradesmen has been promoting qualified tradesmen in its service since 2006 – through the last recession and out the other end to today. We’ve seen a lot in that time and helped thousands of tradesmen and builders across the country in the process. 

In the depths of the last recession, we saw our membership shrink as many tradesmen emigrated, but we also saw the many who stayed maintained and even grow their businesses. There was less work – or actually less large-scale work – but those tradesmen who adapted were Ok. 

This will be the same with Ireland Post-Brexit. Tradesmen who are properly qualified, who are promoting their businesses well online and have demonstrably strong online ratings to attract new customers will continue to do well, no matter what our friends across the water throw at us. 

Let’s wait and see what happens next! 

Are you a qualified tradesman, trade pro or builder ? Schedule a call with one of our sales reps to see how Onlinetradesmen can support your business.

Irish Tradesmen: Home Improvement Outlook For 2019 5 Tips For Tradesmen & Builders To Get Online Ratings