Small business tradies say they won’t be joining Aussie office workers on their New Year’s break as they struggle to shut up shop over the Christmas holidays.
Martin Nguyen, the director of Melbourne-based Kubra Building Services, says he won’t be spending the tail end of the year sipping on cocktails out on Mornington’s sandy shores.
Instead, he and his team will be under the pump, crunching to wrap up contracts, finish off jobs and meet tight deadlines before January 1st rolls around.
“It’s a mix of things — tight deadlines, keeping clients happy, and just knowing that if I’m not working, I’m not earning,” he told Build-it.
“It’s tough to step away, especially around Christmas. That’s when things are flat out, and taking a break feels impossible because you know everyone’s relying on you and your team to get the job done.”
And Nguyen isn’t alone. According to a recent survey by tradie marketplace hipages, over half of all small construction businesses are in the same boat, with 64 per cent saying taking time off toward the end of the year feels “near impossible”.
Robert Tolliday, Chief Revenue Officer at hipages, said that an “overwhelming number” of tradie business decision-makers found that taking time off would pile pressure on both them and the business.
“As part of this research, we identified a few common barriers preventing tradies from taking time off; Two out of five tradies (40 per cent) say their business is unable to operate without them, while 37 per cent are afraid they’d lose clients,” he told Build-it.
“Beyond that, many say they simply don’t have the time or money to take the time off they need.”
For Nguyen, even those worrying figures didn’t do time-poor tradies justice.
“It’s something every tradie I know deals with,” he told Build-it.
“Work often feels like a constant hustle, and finding the time to take a break can feel like a pipe dream.
“Everyone’s trying to balance keeping clients happy with staying afloat financially. It’s definitely possible, but you’ve got to come up with strategies to make it happen.”
A “seasonal struggle”
While nailing down the perfect job pipeline has always been a struggle for small tradie businesses, Tolliday warned that a sharp spike in demand heading into the new year made it especially difficult to avoid the work piling up.
“Our hipages platform data show a sharp spike in jobs posted in October and November as homeowners look to complete jobs before Christmas,” he told Build-it.
“Although this demand drops slightly in December, it spikes again in January as families return from their holidays and want to complete the jobs they didn’t get to last year.”
Despite this growing demand proving promising for the industry moving forward, Ngyuen said the added workload was starting to take its toll.
“Demand’s gone through the roof, which is great for business. But it’s also a lot to keep up with,” he told Build-it.
“It’s not just the workload—it’s the mental strain of trying to juggle everything without burning out.”
Taking time off is hard, but not impossible
However, while it might be hard, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for tradies looking at toughing it out on the job site over Christmas.
Tolliday said that with the right strategies and planning, it is possible for small businesses to squeeze in a break to enjoy the summer sun.
“One of the best, and simplest things tradies can do is plan ahead and set clear expectations with their clients,” he told Build-it.
“Blocking out time for leave well in advance helps create space for downtime and helps us focus on managing workloads more efficiently to lighten the load.”
He also encouraged tradies to take advantage of job management platforms like hipages to “tap into more work” leading up to quieter periods, so businesses can schedule contracts both before and ahead of holidays.
“It’s all about having systems in place to give tradies the confidence to step away without worrying about what’s waiting for them when they return,” he added.
For Martin, these boundaries were a game-changer, finally allowing the young builder to book in some well-deserved time off with his family in the future.
“…No more squeezing in ‘just one more job’,” he told Build-it.
“It’s given me the confidence to actually take time off without stressing about what’s waiting for me when I get back.”
