Edinburgh reinstatement contractor looks to add more skilled jobs after doubling workforce

As well as increased demand in the capital, Insurepair has benefited from business gains at its recently-opened Glasgow branch. Plasterers, joiners and decorators make up the influx of new personnel at the firm, which specialises in fire and flood restoration work. Having moved into 2024 with 15 permanent members of staff, the company has seen that number swell to more than 30.

The hiring spree has allowed a number of trades people to join from firms which had lost work due to the impact the downturn in house building has had on the construction sector. Others have left self-employment in search of job security, according to bosses at Insurepair.

Managing director Richard O’Donnell said: “It’s been such an unprecedented start to the year for us that we had to launch a recruitment drive after winning a lot of new business. That, combined with the fact that the public are becoming more aware they can actually come directly to us for insurance reinstatement works as opposed to going through their insurance, has really increased the number of projects we are working on.

“We therefore had to go out to the market and look for driven, hard-working team players, who take pride in their craftsmanship and I’m delighted with the team we are building here. Our business plan was focused around consistent growth and we have accelerated those plans given the hectic start to the year we have had.”

The company works with some of the UK’s largest insurance companies in covering Edinburgh and Glasgow along with Central Scotland, Perth, Fife and the Borders.

O’Donnell added: “We may have doubled in size this year already but we’re still looking for more people to join us as the demand is still there. Our insurance reinstatement works are managed in a way that we have a lead trades person in each group who reports to contracts managers who in turn inform the operations team and so it’s relatively straightforward to add new trade staff, which I’ll be looking to do in the months ahead.”