Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins warns UK skills shortage could dent expansion
The founder of Pimlico Plumbers has warned that the UK lacks the skills needed for the industry's expansion, and that he will soon have to start recruiting from abroad.
The London-based company, today reported sales of £5.5m from June to August – it’s quietest time of year – marking a 16.9 per cent climb on the same period in 2014.
The firm is anticipating sales of £30m in the year to June 2016, its strongest ever 12 months, but founder Charlie Mullins warned there are “real and sinister clouds out there” in terms of skills shortages.
“You might say things are looking very rosy for Pimlico Plumbers because, as the real winter bite invades London, the metaphorical sunshine is warming our balance sheet, but there are real and sinister clouds out there, and they are making me extremely nervous,” Mullins said.
“For my part at Pimlico Plumbers we will continue to innovate in the ways we source the skilled labour we require, and if the time comes when the resource I crave in the UK becomes too rare, then I'll consider actively recruiting workers in Europe, Australia, and other Commonwealth countries.”
It’s not just plumbers that are in short supply, numerous surveys this year have revealed serious shortages in the construction sector.