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Hopes of the credit crunch leading to a boom for tradesmen have been dashed by new industry evidence showing the North of England worst hit.

Thousands of small building businesses and one-man-bands up and down the country had expected to cash-in on the crisis as property owners opted to make home-improvements rather than move house.

But, according to eGenie – the UK’s leading job-auction website - tradesmen in the North are taking the brunt of the economic downturn.

eGenie.co.uk deals with hundreds of requests daily from householders looking for skilled trades people to carry out building, repair or decoration work on their homes.

The site has been monitoring activity on the site over the past three months. eGenie found more than half (57%) of the requests for work are originating in the South of England against 28 per cent coming from the North and Scotland.

“We have witnessed the demand for plumbers, electricians, builders and other trades people has fallen sharply in recent weeks in the North of Britain,” says Stefan Troester of eGenie. “However, the opposite is taking place in the South – particularly London. This does highlight a marked change as earlier in the year – when the credit crunch was first starting to bite demand was spread far more evenly across the country.”

The site also found that a quarter of all requests for building work and home improvement came from the Capital. Londoners made up 26 per cent of the total last month.

Scotland and the North West of the UK both accounted for fewer than nine per cent of auctions for workers.

While the North East and East Midlands are faring worse with less than five per cent of job posts, 3.9% and 4.9% respectively.

“In this difficult climate, trades people need to be even more savvy and proactive when marketing their services and attracting new business,” says Troester.

As the cost of living escalates and the average householder feels the pinch any non-essential home improvement work will be put on the back-burner.

However, some work will be essential and eGenie is warning against unscrupulous rogue traders who will undercut the skilled workforce.

“As the competition for business gets tougher, consumers need to be even more wary of cowboy trades people. Many see this as an opportunity to attract customers through low-cost services delivered without any professional expertise or training. In the long run, consumers could be seriously out of pocket, as they deal with the aftermath of a botched job,” says Troester.

To avoid this, egenie.co.uk gives consumers free access to reliable, qualified professionals and enables them to get the best quote for the job through an auction system. Trades people post their credentials online and householders rate their services so consumers can steer clear of being ripped off.

egenie.co.uk is Europe’s fastest growing online marketplace for householders who need the services of a professional. It claims its innovative system can find the right person for any job fast, effectively and with huge cost savings.

These figures paint a gloomier picture the further north you travel. However, according to Troester there is some good news – but not much. “Our survey shows that demand for dog walkers and home visiting hairdressers is growing across the UK,” says Troester.



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Figures Breakdown (Requests):
Wales 1.5%
East Midlands 4.9%
North West 8.8%
North east 3.9%
Scotland 8.7%
South West 9.3%
West Midlands 5.4%
Yorkshire 7.8%
London 26%
South east 22%

Stephan Troester is available for interview by contacting:

Stefan Troester at Portalunited Ltd.
Email: troester@portalunited.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 81 44 63 48

About eGenie
eGenie acts as a price and service comparison website where customers can find the best deals in their area for trusted service professionals specialising in construction, household and gardening including also a wider range of services and professions. eGenie allows its customers to rate, review and recommend service providers for other users.

Genie connects people with the best professionals saving customers time and money when searching for service providers. The website helps tradesmen promote their skills, work history and qualifications using a specially designed business profiling system - eGenie’s Quality Index compare a range of skills, attributes and attitudes of service provider’s skills.

eGenie was launched in 2008 created by the people of Portalunited Ltd. who developed the award-winning German internet portal blauarbeit.de which was established in 2004.
eGenie can be found at www.egenie.co.uk


Contact Name: Troester
Role: Director UK
Company: Portalunited Ltd.
Contact Email: click to reveal e-mail
Contact Phone: +44 (0) 20 81 44 63 48
Contact Fax: +44 (0) 20 77 88 29 96
Company Website: http://www.eGenie.co.uk
More details: http://www.egenie.co.uk/static/docs/credit_crunch_north_south_devide.doc

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