From: easier.com

Workers in two of Britain’s key trades are being driven deeper into debt as jobs in construction and road haulage are cut in response to the worsening economic outlook.

The number of workers in the building trade looking for professional help with their debts is steadily climbing as the brakes go on house building, movement in the housing market grinds to a halt and people shelve home improvements due to lack of funds.

In the same boat are a growing number of HGV drivers whose income has dried up as road hauliers are forced to cut costs to cope with the astronomical increase in diesel.

In the past when borrowing was cheap and easy and the rise of the housing market seemed unstoppable, work for the building and construction trades was plentiful. But for those who relied on this trend continuing and lived beyond their means, the downturn we see today has left them high and dry.

Oil prices continue to remain at record levels and despite the Chancellor’s decision to postpone the 2p rise in fuel duty, the transport industry is staggering under the increased burden of unavoidable costs.

There’s been a lot of talk about the credit crunch over the past year but I would say it’s only now that the effects are really hitting their target and ordinary workers and business-owners are taking the blows.

The findings of a recent survey by the Federation of Master Builders show the construction industry to be suffering the lowest levels of demand for a decade.

Small firms, in particular, are finding the current climate very difficult and expect their workload over the next two quarters of 2008 to fall even further. This follows research from the Office of National Statistics which showed overall construction levels fell by 19 per cent in June alone.

But with the alarming rise in the number of UK consumers struggling with huge debts, the shame and stigma of being in deep debt is waning.

Debt is now a fact of life and managing it is a mainstream activity.  It’s something to be dealt with so that people can recover and move on with their lives.

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