A survey by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has named the East Midlands as the prime location for tradespeople in the UK, highlighting its advantages in work-life balance.
The study found that workers in this region enjoy shorter working hours, reduced stress levels and shorter commutes compared to their counterparts across the nation.
The research revealed that while 61% of UK van drivers have experienced an increase in working hours, nearly half (49%) of East Midlands tradespeople reported no such change.
On average, they work 9.03 hours daily, below the national average of 9.25 hours.
In contrast, tradespeople in the North West (9.49 hours), London (9.54 hours) and the West Midlands (9.81 hours) exceed this benchmark.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles survey
Craig Cavanagh, VW’s national fleet manager, said: “We understand the challenges that many of the UK’s tradespeople are experiencing, but the regional differences highlighted in this index, have really been eye-opening.
“Running a business is never easy, and that’s why van drivers up and down the country are asking for more support from us to keep them on the road.”
The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles survey also shows that commuting distances set the East Midlands apart, with tradespeople driving an average of 67.95 miles daily, which is much less than the national average of 88.37 miles.
London workers face the longest commutes at 103.39 miles, followed by the North West at 98.85 miles.
This shorter travel distance in the East Midlands could save tradespeople up to 82.42 hours of driving annually.
Mental health issues for tradespeople
Stress levels also favour the East Midlands, where workers reported feeling overwhelmed by work-life balance only monthly, unlike the weekly stress reported in most other regions.
Also, East Midlands tradespeople turned down fewer jobs due to mental health concerns, averaging 2.84 days compared to the national figure of 3.58 days.
London (4.05 days), West Midlands (4.06 days) and Wales (5.75 days) reported the highest job losses due to mental health.
Unsurprisingly, London emerged as the most challenging region for tradespeople, grappling with longer hours and longer commutes.
The study’s index, which ranks regions based on working hours, stress and mileage, gave the East Midlands a score of 32 points, followed by Northern Ireland (27 points) and Wales (24 points).
London scored the lowest at 12 points.