Recent research from trades insurance provider Protectivity, reported by PBC Today, shows that electrician apprenticeships attract the highest levels of online search interest among UK construction trades, followed by plumbing.
The research analysed Google search data over a one-year period between September 2025 and August 2026. It recorded more than 1.1 million annual searches relating to electrician apprenticeships and around 475,000 for plumbing. Carpentry ranked third, followed by bricklaying and plastering in fourth and fifth place.
The findings offer an indication of which construction career routes are attracting public attention. However, search volumes do not necessarily translate into apprenticeship applications or to new people training and entering the industry.
With construction continuing to face skills shortages, understanding which trades people are showing an interest in is one part of the wider challenge of attracting and training the next generation of skilled workers.
The figures show where online interest is concentrated, but they don't explain what's motivating people to explore these careers, or how many will go on to train.
To get a perspective from someone starting their career in trades, Able Skills student Paul, who recently qualified as an electrician, explains what attracted him to electrical in the first place.
“Electrical work felt like a natural fit — practical, technical, and problem-solving, with a strong attention to detail.”
Read more about Paul’s journey to become an electrician.