BROXBOURNE, June 28 — The shift is clear: as millions of jobs face the AI wave, a surprising number of workers are eyeing the trades. One of the most secure careers right now? Bricklaying.
Britain is staring down a severe shortage of skilled bricklayers. A third of the 42,000 professionals in the field are set to retire over the next decade.
That comes as the nation faces a chronic housing shortage, with at least 1.5 million new homes needing to be built. The math is simple — demand is soaring. And the pay reflects it.
An experienced self-employed professional bricklayer can earn £90,000 a year, according to industry experts. That’s a figure that puts many desk jobs to shame, especially those now vulnerable to automation.
Toby Walne, chief money reporter, spent a day at Hertford Regional College in Broxbourne to test the trade. His instructor was Jack Dawson, a lecturer in bricklaying and the organiser of the national competition Super Trowel. Dawson’s instruction was direct: “Roll that pug into a fat chicken breast and then pick it up at 7 o’clock.” The trade is often misunderstood.
Many still picture it as back-breaking work only for younger men. But the reality is shifting. With modern technological advancements, it’s a craft that women and people in their 50s and 60s can also enjoy.
It is a highly skilled pursuit, both physically and mentally rewarding. Even British wartime leader Winston Churchill found it therapeutic, using the craft to fight off his “black dog” of depression.
The trend underneath all this is a fundamental rethinking of career security. As AI reshapes office work, the hands-on skills that build the world around us are becoming not just safer bets, but lucrative ones. The housing crisis isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the need for people who can lay brick.
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