"Those changes were the tipping point,"
"I want to grow a business and bring young people through, but I can't afford to do that anymore. The costs don't stack up."
Martin Daly, 30, founder of Motherwell-based MD Builders and Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2025, plans to relocate to Switzerland after years building his firm in the UK. Daly employed and trained multiple apprentices, many of whom later established their own businesses or moved abroad. He cites higher employers' National Insurance contributions, a rising National Living Wage and insufficient apprenticeship funding as key financial pressures on small firms. He also reports a slowdown in available projects, rising overheads from compliance and regulation, and concerns about personal safety and quality of life. Daly warns these factors could accelerate an exodus of skilled tradespeople amid existing construction labour shortages.
Read at Business Matters
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