Green shoots for UK’s covid-beaten domestic services sector
Britain’s multi-billion-pound domestic services industry is showing the green shoots of recovery with jobs and bookings almost back to pre-Covid levels.
Last week, one of the UK’s biggest domestic services firms, Fantastic Services, saw bookings for tradesmen jump by 34% compared to the previous month, with the number of jobs carried out also up 14% week-on-week.
Fantastic Services also saw regular cleaning customer jobs reach their highest level since before lockdown last week, while separately the number of one-off jobs cleaning completed last week was also 280% higher than the lockdown lows experienced in April, and up 11% week on week.
The company carried out over 7,140 jobs last week across all of the services that it offers on its platform, the highest weekly total since before lockdown. The figures are a hugely encouraging sign for the company, which saw a 60% slump in demand for domestic services when lockdown was introduced.
It also suggests that consumers are becoming more confident about workmen and cleaners visiting their homes, while the trend of home improvements, which kicked off during lockdown, is showing no signs of abating.
While the jump in activity offers signs of hope for an industry hit hard by the Covid pandemic and resulting lockdown, a looming second national lockdown would be disastrous for the industry and the hundreds of thousands it employs.
Recent research carried out by Fantastic Services found that among people who have hired a cleaner in the past, since Covid struck, 31% are too nervous to have one in their home, with this number likely to get higher amid the increased restrictions being seen around the UK.
Rune Sovndahl, CEO and co-founder of Fantastic Services, said: “We aren’t out of the woods yet by any means, but it’s very nice to see the number of jobs and bookings creeping up each week and long it may continue. This industry was hit particularly hard by Covid. Bookings basically off a cliff a few months ago and it has felt like a long road back, but confidence is definitely returning. This is great news for us and great news for the tens of thousands of people who make a living by working on jobs in people’s homes.”
