Sub-contractor Pay Trends January 2021
Business as usual for building sites despite second national lockdown
Hudson Contract delivers the most accurate indications of pay trends across the construction industry, using monthly payroll data for more than 2,500 construction companies to publish the average pay for a spectrum of 17 different trades now split across ten regions.
The latest lockdown has failed to dampen demand for labour on Britain’s building sites, according to the construction industry’s biggest payer of subcontractors.
Hudson Contract said the number of tradespeople on its books stood at 87 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in January. The figure was 90 per cent before the festive break when most construction sites shut for a fortnight.
Hudson supplies professional services to more than 2,500 construction SMEs and has a turnover of £1.6bn. Ian Anfield, managing director, said: “There are widespread reports of full order books among our clients. However, all that can change quickly if the housing market slumps and major housebuilders turn off the taps.”
The government told the construction industry last month it should continue to operate during the national lockdown and is making a major contribution to the economic recovery.
Latest pay trends show a fall of 8.2 per cent in weekly earnings during January to £836, which is in line with seasonal trends following the annual break.
Mr Anfield said: “We were concerned that Covid would prevent eastern Europeans getting back to Britain after Christmas. We also heard reports from some clients that some tradespeople were using the self-employment support scheme to take extra paid holiday at the Chancellor’s expense. Whilst this is most certainly happening in some cases, on the whole the return to work has been at the same level as in previous years.”
The best performing regions for earnings last month were Wales (-0.3 per cent), the West Midlands (-3.8 per cent) and the East Midlands (-5.2 per cent).
| Region | January 2021 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £696 | -16.9% | -10.1% |
| North West | £825 | -9.5% | -3.5% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £752 | -11.2% | -9.2% |
| East Midlands | £897 | -5.2% | -5.8% |
| West Midlands | £841 | -3.8% | -12.0% |
| Wales | £867 | -0.3% | 5.2% |
| East of England | £877 | -11.0% | -9.4% |
| London | £854 | -5.4% | -10.0% |
| South East | £870 | -9.9% | -8.1% |
| South West | £814 | -9.4% | -6.0% |
Hudson delivers the most accurate indication of subcontractor pay trends across the construction industry, publishing the average pay for a spectrum of 17 different trades split across 10 regions in England and Wales.
It supplies statistics to the Bank of England to keep policymakers updated with real-time insights on demand for skilled labour.
To access Hudson Contract’s Construction Pay Trends index, please click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £888 | £949 | £1,042 | £882 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,015 | £1,296 | £928 | £682 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £735 | £631 | £615 | £562 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £686 | £716 | £766 | £556 |
| INSULATION | £812 | £809 | £847 | - |
| JOINERY | £646 | £684 | £733 | £687 |
| PLASTERING | £694 | £783 | £687 | £689 |
| ROOFING | £821 | £901 | £1,152 | £858 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £428 | £304 | £425 | £511 |
| SHOP FITTING | £658 | £670 | £783 | £604 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £567 | £648 | £724 | £656 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £737 | £711 | £788 | £610 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £789 | £783 | £805 | £738 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £795 | £761 | £790 | £792 |
| ELECTRICAL | £810 | £814 | £844 | £727 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £722 | £767 | £842 | £920 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £939 | £949 | £980 | £826 |
| INSULATION | £652 | £721 | £965 | £478 |
| JOINERY | £1,292 | £1,183 | £1,302 | £1,194 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,085 | £840 | £1,124 | £1,071 |
| PLASTERING | £1,016 | £585 | £431 | £458 |
| PLUMBING | £975 | £823 | £1,122 | £842 |
| ROOFING | £860 | £872 | £965 | £840 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £711 | £739 | £656 | £637 |
| SHOP FITTING | £998 | £1,018 | £998 | £1,205 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £816 | £808 | £941 | £794 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £422 | £638 | £599 | £530 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £952 | £940 | £1,002 | £801 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £710 | £712 | £726 | £547 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £798 | £811 | £817 | £725 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £714 | £752 | £696 | £730 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,178 | £1,280 | £1,228 | £1,139 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £837 | £767 | £792 | £771 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £822 | £819 | £858 | £732 |
| INSULATION | £832 | £833 | £742 | £636 |
| JOINERY | £726 | £730 | £772 | £707 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,079 | £1,024 | £987 | £898 |
| PLASTERING | £694 | £724 | £879 | £707 |
| PLUMBING | £742 | £799 | £712 | £687 |
| ROOFING | £680 | £663 | £707 | £563 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £552 | £615 | £562 | £511 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,017 | £1,018 | £1,083 | £1,118 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £982 | £961 | £773 | £648 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,069 | £1,040 | £1,264 | £1,086 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £890 | £925 | £902 | £746 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £885 | £918 | £860 | £842 |
| ELECTRICAL | £985 | £879 | £890 | £891 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,059 | £1,023 | £1,290 | £1,287 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,005 | £1,032 | £968 | £849 |
| INSULATION | £882 | £786 | £820 | £690 |
| JOINERY | £783 | £768 | £766 | £745 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,309 | £1,397 | £1,445 | £1,542 |
| PLASTERING | £748 | £785 | £789 | £722 |
| PLUMBING | £1,057 | £1,311 | £1,211 | £1,116 |
| ROOFING | £718 | £700 | £778 | £692 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £836 | £831 | £804 | £666 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,092 | £1,226 | £1,250 | £941 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £826 | £811 | £842 | £801 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £958 | £518 | £619 | £954 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £890 | £907 | £942 | £819 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £885 | £844 | £811 | £655 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £998 | £1,019 | £994 | £918 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £661 | £652 | £651 | £569 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,207 | £1,225 | £1,219 | £1,121 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £872 | £863 | £846 | £827 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £891 | £917 | £883 | £841 |
| INSULATION | £878 | £891 | £847 | £838 |
| JOINERY | £1,303 | £1,204 | £1,010 | £1,178 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,518 | £1,626 | £1,101 | £1,369 |
| PLASTERING | £653 | £668 | £659 | £600 |
| PLUMBING | £890 | £939 | £876 | £821 |
| ROOFING | £563 | £617 | £638 | £556 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £634 | £743 | £638 | £586 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,064 | £1,321 | £1,285 | £1,488 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £909 | £949 | £852 | £823 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £812 | £816 | £792 | £651 |
Wales
| WALES | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,312 | £1,199 | £1,278 | £1,397 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £779 | £755 | £728 | £789 |
| ELECTRICAL | £776 | £812 | £874 | £897 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,394 | £1,562 | £1,423 | £1,257 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £804 | £750 | £723 | £745 |
| JOINERY | - | - | - | - |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £685 | £589 | £830 | £752 |
| PLASTERING | £1,423 | £968 | £915 | £800 |
| PLUMBING | £869 | £823 | £830 | £885 |
| ROOFING | £633 | £1,427 | £1,282 | £392 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £697 | £713 | £718 | £768 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £851 | £760 | £789 | £846 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £695 | £738 | £647 | £842 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | - | - | - | - |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £749 | £773 | £779 | £661 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £968 | £1,011 | £991 | £903 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £830 | £789 | £730 | £698 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,439 | £1,510 | £1,515 | £1,207 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £945 | £921 | £1,010 | £925 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £937 | £941 | £924 | £849 |
| INSULATION | £901 | £947 | £941 | £805 |
| JOINERY | £1,336 | £1,138 | £1,210 | £986 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,256 | £1,162 | £1,228 | £1,162 |
| PLASTERING | £1,054 | £1,084 | £967 | £1,017 |
| PLUMBING | £1,122 | £1,131 | £1,060 | £1,063 |
| ROOFING | £802 | £803 | £792 | £658 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £817 | £775 | £820 | £778 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,409 | £1,465 | £1,550 | £1,213 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £807 | £761 | £755 | £693 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £708 | £745 | £730 | £601 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £662 | £696 | £710 | £636 |
London
| LONDON | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £830 | £813 | £772 | £685 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £851 | £874 | £886 | £788 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £637 | £856 | - | - |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,006 | £1,117 | £911 | £954 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £563 | £788 | £727 | £709 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £952 | £1,007 | £993 | £987 |
| INSULATION | - | - | - | £2,040 |
| JOINERY | £874 | £916 | £1,019 | £823 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £663 | £654 | £768 | £735 |
| PLASTERING | - | - | - | - |
| PLUMBING | £1,092 | £1,156 | £1,099 | £1,092 |
| ROOFING | £774 | £782 | £789 | £719 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £913 | £903 | £921 | £872 |
| SHOP FITTING | £835 | £864 | £1,023 | £630 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,070 | £1,055 | £1,113 | £980 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £583 | £644 | £640 | £661 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £600 | £475 | £480 | £550 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £910 | £932 | £922 | £590 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £786 | £768 | £789 | £783 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,256 | £1,357 | £1,313 | £1,130 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,220 | £1,142 | £1,286 | £1,137 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £928 | £858 | £860 | £860 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £886 | £926 | £890 | £889 |
| INSULATION | £675 | £719 | £716 | £797 |
| JOINERY | £1,036 | £1,045 | £1,067 | £950 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,179 | £1,246 | £1,402 | £1,336 |
| PLASTERING | £722 | £742 | £814 | £704 |
| PLUMBING | £964 | £965 | £1,102 | £827 |
| ROOFING | £783 | £747 | £848 | £661 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £844 | £862 | £861 | £792 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,241 | £1,297 | £1,097 | £1,176 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £739 | £786 | £806 | £676 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £667 | £639 | £671 | £760 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,006 | £834 | £876 | £732 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £600 | £600 | £600 | - |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £794 | £806 | £831 | £800 |
| ELECTRICAL | £882 | £793 | £867 | £669 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | - | - | - | - |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £864 | £921 | £927 | £795 |
| INSULATION | £1,406 | £1,368 | £1,284 | £1,378 |
| JOINERY | £936 | £941 | £1,144 | £828 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £706 | £753 | £756 | £647 |
| PLASTERING | £832 | £1,118 | £754 | £582 |
| PLUMBING | £1,052 | £871 | £916 | £1,172 |
| ROOFING | £794 | £833 | £803 | £738 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £802 | £811 | £865 | £688 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £763 | £965 | £1,161 | £1,168 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £608 | £634 | £666 | £599 |