Sub-contractor Pay Trends January 2020
RECORD WEEKLY EARNINGS FOR CONSTRUCTION FREELANCERS IN EAST MIDS AND LONDON
Hudson Contract delivers the most accurate indications of pay trends across the construction industry, using payroll data for over 2,200 construction companies to publish the average pay for a spectrum of 17 different trades now split across ten regions.
Earnings for freelance tradespeople in the construction sector hit all-time highs in the East Midlands and London last month, according to latest figures released by Hudson Contract.
Analysis of January payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies in England and Wales reveals a weekly average of £921 for subcontractors, a 2.8 per cent decrease on December.
The seasonal decline seen at the start of every new year was much less marked than 2019 when average earnings fell by 12.4 per cent.
Still, it was a strong start to 2020 for subcontractors in the East Midlands and London who earned £952 (up 1.4 per cent) and £949 (up 3.2 per cent) respectively.
| Region | January 2020 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £774 | 0.8% | 7.9% |
| North West | £855 | -1.7% | 12.4% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £828 | -6.4% | 6.0% |
| East Midlands | £952 | 1.4% | 12% |
| West Midlands | £956 | -6.4% | 11.9% |
| Wales | £824 | -0.6% | 4.8% |
| East of England | £968 | -4.3% | 9.6% |
| London | £949 | 3.2% | 12% |
| South East | £947 | -3.7% | 13.4% |
| South West | £866 | -0.9% | 17.8% |
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “This is great news for subbies in the East Midlands and London who enjoyed record earnings last month.
“January can be predictably painful for freelance tradespeople due to the seasonal decline we see at the start of every new year.
“The overall picture at the start of 2020 is much stronger than the start of 2019, which shows renewed confidence in the business outlook for the construction sector.”
Commenting on the latest construction PMI, Mr Anfield added: “The rebound in optimism mirrors what we are seeing on the ground. Building firms are planning ahead with more confidence and starting to invest again. This is good news for the sector and the wider economy.
"Our payroll data for more than 2,200 construction SMEs shows much stronger demand for skilled tradespeople than this time last year, reflecting the improved picture.
"The PMI commentary notes the increased use of subcontractors, which highlights the benefits of a flexible workforce in managing demand."
To access Hudson Contract’s Construction Pay Trends index, please click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £794 | £798 | £1,416 | £827 |
| ELECTRICAL | £877 | £854 | - | £1,427 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £760 | £739 | £986 | £1,121 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £791 | £834 | £1,081 | £723 |
| INSULATION | £753 | £732 | £1,123 | £768 |
| PLASTERING | £743 | £747 | £600 | £702 |
| ROOFING | £1,020 | £964 | £677 | £748 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £485 | £405 | £569 | £217 |
| SHOP FITTING | £743 | £689 | - | £680 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £772 | £872 | £754 | £588 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £815 | £762 | £908 | £741 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £784 | £786 | £1,038 | £803 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £798 | £765 | £808 | £799 |
| ELECTRICAL | £929 | £935 | £1,082 | £868 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £735 | £689 | £667 | £931 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,020 | £1,032 | £917 | £992 |
| INSULATION | £519 | £700 | £1,156 | £614 |
| JOINERY | £1,149 | £1,191 | £571 | £1,121 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,037 | £1,175 | £979 | £1,270 |
| PLASTERING | £646 | £681 | £770 | £653 |
| PLUMBING | £851 | £986 | £857 | £729 |
| ROOFING | £859 | £967 | £874 | £882 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £639 | £708 | £1,140 | £700 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,138 | £1,177 | £987 | £1,065 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £871 | £795 | £1,018 | £768 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £689 | £645 | £558 | £614 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £951 | £1,012 | £802 | £788 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £740 | £740 | £948 | £690 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £855 | £828 | £1,114 | £834 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £745 | £810 | £865 | £886 |
| ELECTRICAL | £981 | £988 | £868 | £899 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £880 | £890 | £883 | £808 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £842 | £832 | £888 | £822 |
| INSULATION | £762 | £762 | £976 | £653 |
| JOINERY | £702 | £738 | £802 | £754 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,093 | £1,100 | £690 | £939 |
| PLASTERING | £813 | £809 | £1,241 | £815 |
| PLUMBING | £802 | £782 | £839 | £876 |
| ROOFING | £719 | £673 | £906 | £699 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £606 | £550 | £921 | £524 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,374 | £1,378 | £718 | £1,236 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £843 | £854 | £880 | £1,038 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £979 | £956 | £432 | £964 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £897 | £869 | £865 | £692 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £863 | £849 | £1,238 | £895 |
| ELECTRICAL | £992 | £977 | £640 | £880 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,053 | £1,120 | £1,067 | £1,010 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,049 | £1,037 | £1,064 | £1,038 |
| INSULATION | £915 | £927 | £1,300 | £848 |
| JOINERY | £796 | £801 | - | £810 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,854 | £1,824 | £1,061 | £1,855 |
| PLASTERING | £765 | £827 | £829 | £939 |
| PLUMBING | £1,077 | £882 | £978 | £1,240 |
| ROOFING | £893 | £934 | £1,125 | £937 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £871 | £860 | £1,052 | £778 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,039 | £692 | - | £1,763 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £844 | £828 | £1,048 | £980 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,028 | £968 | - | £617 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £909 | £948 | £1,261 | £975 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £928 | £975 | £1,210 | £879 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £992 | £987 | £1,096 | £925 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £682 | £657 | £1,009 | £676 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,196 | £1,245 | £927 | £1,423 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £914 | £948 | £1,238 | £920 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £940 | £915 | £1,115 | £1,125 |
| INSULATION | £772 | £845 | £1,859 | £762 |
| JOINERY | £1,054 | £1,124 | £689 | £1,256 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,597 | £1,574 | £649 | £1,540 |
| PLASTERING | £640 | £635 | £699 | £745 |
| PLUMBING | £1,110 | £1,183 | £699 | £1,484 |
| ROOFING | £627 | £578 | £1,076 | £596 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £685 | £634 | £1,233 | £720 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,365 | £1,239 | £630 | £1,597 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £957 | £1,022 | £1,062 | £733 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £855 | £853 | £1,009 | £697 |
Wales
| WALES | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £766 | £767 | £957 | £769 |
| ELECTRICAL | £972 | £918 | £882 | £894 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,278 | £1,263 | £766 | £1,760 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £850 | £907 | £905 | £875 |
| Joinery | £1,355 | £953 | - | £569 |
| PLASTERING | £1,610 | £1,505 | £585 | £1,260 |
| PLUMBING | £956 | £914 | £1,445 | £870 |
| ROOFING | £527 | £551 | £836 | £467 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £810 | £730 | £814 | £688 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £811 | £812 | £959 | £810 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £623 | £1,002 | £705 | £749 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,140 | £1,185 | £982 | £1,320 |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £794 | £804 | £1,435 | £783 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £942 | £959 | £1,307 | £979 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £759 | £781 | £942 | £831 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,363 | £1,451 | £709 | £1,476 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £915 | £908 | £953 | £1,032 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £965 | £962 | £848 | £943 |
| INSULATION | £1,053 | £1,012 | £905 | £936 |
| JOINERY | £1,202 | £1,200 | £955 | £1,363 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,140 | £1,181 | £829 | £1,155 |
| PLASTERING | £881 | £872 | £943 | £887 |
| PLUMBING | £1,269 | £1,324 | £1,120 | £1,420 |
| ROOFING | £797 | £806 | £970 | £777 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £892 | £918 | £977 | £903 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,266 | £1,192 | £708 | £1,095 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £843 | £819 | £1,055 | £832 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £616 | £686 | - | £639 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £742 | £735 | £907 | £706 |
London
| LONDON | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £743 | £750 | £1,042 | £714 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £821 | £840 | £1,121 | £821 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £964 | £808 | £885 | - |
| ELECTRICAL | £972 | £1,023 | £929 | £1,297 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £824 | £765 | £978 | £867 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £995 | £1,068 | £868 | £1,229 |
| INSULATION | £917 | £896 | £517 | £1,710 |
| JOINERY | £1,120 | £1,158 | £1,763 | £1,173 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,120 | £991 | £1,024 | £1,290 |
| PLASTERING | £633 | £695 | £878 | £643 |
| PLUMBING | £1,070 | £1,117 | £914 | £1,489 |
| ROOFING | £887 | £916 | £1,001 | £838 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £993 | £1,033 | £1,107 | £1,012 |
| SHOP FITTING | £910 | £838 | £1,549 | £1,984 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,094 | £1,122 | £1,124 | £1,079 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £824 | £582 | - | £823 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £540 | £575 | £817 | £467 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £779 | £820 | £1,234 | £778 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £827 | £828 | £1,192 | £841 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,235 | £1,241 | £905 | £1,031 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,301 | £1,318 | £1,138 | £1,481 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £870 | £870 | £869 | £891 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £901 | £889 | £1,014 | £925 |
| INSULATION | - | - | £369 | £950 |
| JOINERY | £1,026 | £1,042 | £693 | £1,120 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,027 | £1,061 | £842 | £1,497 |
| PLASTERING | £729 | £683 | £970 | £777 |
| PLUMBING | £1,072 | £1,111 | £861 | £1,286 |
| ROOFING | £818 | £799 | £1,011 | £786 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £837 | £834 | £949 | £810 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,261 | £1,357 | £676 | £1,171 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £906 | £872 | £1,067 | £867 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £761 | £766 | £1,210 | £782 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £964 | £946 | £997 | £804 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,712 | £1,474 | £949 | £1,289 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £774 | £808 | £832 | £757 |
| ELECTRICAL | £757 | £750 | £720 | £822 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £719 | £676 | £820 | £891 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £885 | £862 | £871 | £978 |
| INSULATION | £1,307 | £1,243 | £848 | £1,260 |
| JOINERY | £1,069 | £1,076 | £1,386 | £1,321 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £633 | £687 | £934 | £657 |
| PLASTERING | £799 | £809 | £1,138 | £677 |
| PLUMBING | £1,417 | £1,764 | £932 | £1,335 |
| ROOFING | £870 | £856 | £798 | £760 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £972 | £740 | £996 | £1,253 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £666 | £654 | £913 | £683 |