Australian tradespeople will have an opportunity to cash in on post-pandemic building and renovation activity according to new research by job management software company Tradify.

Tradify polled 150 trade business owners and managers and found that many had been kept busy during lockdown, helping homeowners complete an array of new jobs. Respondents to the poll included builders, electricians, plumbers, gasfitters and landscapers.

Out of all respondents, 60% said that COVID-19 had low or no impact on their business with 73% saying they were focused in the residential sector. Across the country, NSW and WA respondents say they have the lowest perceived impact while Victoria had the largest proportion of moderate to high impact.

With social and travel opportunities limited by the restrictions, many Australians are choosing to spend money on home repairs and improvements. Some tradies even say that they’ve been busier than ever, clocking record revenue.

This is backed up by Tradify’s job management app seeing a higher number of quotes, jobs and invoices when COVID-19 restrictions were first put in place.

The seasonally adjusted estimate of total building work done fell just 3.9% to $28,416.7 million in the June 2020 quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

“Paper-based management systems and shoebox accounting are holding a lot of Australian trade businesses back,” Tradify chief executive Michael Steckler says.

“Our research suggests tradies would like to have better control over their operations. They already work hard but going digital can help them work smarter too and put them in a better position to make the most of the opportunities that are emerging.

“Our customers say being able to generate professional quotes on the spot has helped them win additional work, while creating invoices via a mobile device or tablet before they’ve even left a job site means customer payments hit their bank accounts faster.

“Now is a great time for Australians who are on the tools to get serious about using digital tools to get their nights and weekends back and drive their businesses forward.”