Talent Intelligence for Skilled Trades\n\nSkilled trades employers face some of the most acute and structural shortages in the UK labour market. Qualified tradespeople — electricians, plumbers, gas engineers, joiners, plasterers, roofers and others — are in sustained high demand. They have leverage, they are regularly approached by competing employers, and they will only move for the right reason.\n\nCompass builds the intelligence and relationships that help skilled trades employers hire consistently well — and helps tradespeople find moves that are genuinely worth making.\n\nBook a Talent Strategy Call | Build My Trades Wish List\n\n—\n\n## For Skilled Trades Employers\n\n### The skilled trades hiring challenge\n\nThe pipeline of newly qualified tradespeople entering the UK labour market does not meet current demand. Existing qualified tradespeople are employed, regularly headhunted and selective about where they work. In this environment, the employers who hire consistently well are not the ones who advertise most aggressively — they are the ones who have built relationships with relevant candidates before vacancies appear.\n\nAdditionally, salary benchmarking in skilled trades is genuinely difficult. Day-rate self-employment, regional pay variation and sector-specific demand spikes make it hard for employers to know whether their offer is competitive until they start receiving (or not receiving) applications.\n\n### What Compass does differently for skilled trades employers\n\nPassive candidate relationships. Compass builds ongoing relationships with qualified tradespeople who are not actively looking but would consider the right opportunity. When a vacancy appears, you have a relevant pool to approach — not a blank page.\n\nSalary and offer intelligence. Compass captures what tradespeople in your specific discipline, region and experience level expect — in structured, current form. This means your salary offer is calibrated to the real market, not to survey data from 18 months ago.\n\nTrade-specific intent data. Pay is important, but it is not the only factor for most tradespeople. Job security, the quality of the employer, working environment, kit and equipment, van and fuel provision, and the predictability of work all matter. Compass captures this in detail.\n\nExpandable matching for qualification adjacency. Sometimes the right candidate has most of what you need but is missing one specific qualification — Gas Safe registration, an electrical qualification tier, a specific licence. Compass identifies these candidates and flags the potential to fund the gap.\n\n### Skilled trades roles Compass covers\n\n- Electricians (domestic, commercial, industrial)\n- Gas engineers (domestic and commercial heating, gas safety)\n- Plumbers and heating engineers\n- Air conditioning and refrigeration engineers (F-Gas)\n- Joiners, carpenters and shopfitters\n- Plasterers and drylining specialists\n- Roofers and waterproofing specialists\n- Multi-skilled trades operatives\n- Trades supervisors and contracts managers\n\nBook a Talent Strategy Call\n\n—\n\n## For Trades Candidates\n\n### Find a trades employer who values what you bring\n\nIf you are a qualified tradesperson — employed, self-employed or considering a change — Compass is built for you. You do not need to be actively job hunting. You just need to know what a genuinely better opportunity would look like.\n\nTell Compass your priorities. We match you with employers who meet them — and only approach you when something relevant exists.\n\n### What tradespeople typically want from a move\n\n- Better pay — hourly rate or salary that reflects current market rates for your trade and experience\n- Stable employment — consistent work, reliable pay and an employer who is financially sound\n- Good kit and vehicle provision — a well-maintained van, quality tools and proper equipment\n- Reasonable hours — manageable working patterns without excessive unpaid overtime\n- Less on-call — particularly for tradespeople who have been on heavy emergency rota for years\n- Funded qualifications — support for additional certifications that broaden your capabilities and market value\n- Career progression — a route from operative to supervisor, or from employed to a supported self-employed arrangement\n- A better employer — a well-managed business that treats its tradespeople with respect and invests in their development\n\nBuild My Trades Wish List | Learn about privacy and control\n\n—\n\n## Skilled trades resources\n\n- Always-On Talent Pools\n- Employer Offer Intelligence\n- Pay, Package and Work-Life Balance\n- Training and Qualifications\n- Career Progression in Skilled Sectors\n\n—\n\nBook a Talent Strategy Call | Build My Wish List"