The trend towards do-it-for-me is becoming established, but more slowly than expected

Italians and Poles get the most enjoyment from DIY projects, while the Dutch and the British like them least. This is the picture suggested by the European Home Improvement Monitor, which focused on the topic of "DIY versus DIFM" in the fourth quarter of 2018. In the survey, interviewees in Italy and Poland stated most frequently in a comparison of eleven European countries that they liked to undertake decorating and construction projects themselves (see graph). On average over the eleven countries, 53 per cent liked doing decorating jobs and 45 per cent liked construction projects.
Based on regular surveys for the Monitor, the USP Marketing Consultancy believes that the proportion of home improvement projects that are being undertaken as do-it-for-me projects - thus by employing tradespeople to do them - is on the rise. The DIY share has fallen from 68 per cent in 2014 to 66 per cent, while the DIFM proportion has increased accordingly from 32 per cent to 34 per cent.
The shift towards DIFM is being fuelled by the demographic trend, according to the marketing consultancy, because the younger generation has less DIY experience and tends to outsource home improvement projects to the professionals. The reason why the trend towards DIFM is not reflected more strongly in the figures is down to a shortage of skilled tradespeople: consumers have found it difficult to find suitable professionals, while these are also becoming increasingly expensive on account of their full order books.