Sub-contractor Pay Trends February 2019
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.
It’s been a good month for self-employed construction workers across the country, with average earnings of £890 a week, up by £61 on the January figure.
The West Midlands is construction’s current hot spot with subbies earning £947 a week, with those in East England and London above the £900 a week benchmark.
Hudson Contract Managing Director Ian Anfield comments: “Like most aspects of construction, earnings are cyclic. So after a return-to-work over the New Year – when plenty of self-employed builders took some unpaid leave – the upturn is no surprise. More importantly, when you compare the year-on-year figures, the underlying trend shows a steady increase – up by 2.7%, and well above inflation.”
National Weekly Average Earnings February 2019: £890
| Region | February 2019 Average | Change from January 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | £765.00 | +6.27% |
| North West | £784.00 | +2.93% |
| Yorkshire & Humber | £841.00 | +7.13% |
| East Midlands | £913.00 | +6.90% |
| West Midlands | £947.00 | +9.82% |
| Wales | £816.00 | +3.68% |
| East of England | £945.00 | +6.56% |
| London | £913.00 | +7.23% |
| South East | £878.00 | +4.90% |
| South West | £787.00 | +6.61% |
Ian Anfield adds: “Despite construction’s ongoing uncertainty over Brexit, the healthy earnings demonstrate there is still plenty of demand for subbies on the sites. Many of our clients continue to be really busy, and have projects in the pipeline. In particular, we’re getting very positive feedback from those working on utilities and civils projects.”
“This isn’t to say that the impact of Brexit isn’t being felt” Ian added. Across the wider industry statistics, the latest IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Total Activity Index shows a dip for the first time since the ‘Beast from the East’ played havoc last year.
Fragile order books, risk aversion, decision-making delays, and the non-replacement of voluntary PAYE leavers all point to reduced confidence. And while housebuilding was the strongest sector, evaporating confidence in the housing market itself is leading to a slowdown in phases being released and sites being put on hold.
Hudson Contract’s ‘Window on the Construction Industry’ gives you hard figures and data that is not available from any other source, with pay averages that reflect the amounts paid by a sample number of businesses – large and small – to specific trades during February 2019.
To access Hudson Contract’s Construction Pay Trends index, please click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £838 | £962 | £785 | £845 |
| ELECTRICAL | £834 | £847 | £801 | £749 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £587 | £683 | £619 | £656 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £773 | £863 | £710 | £758 |
| INSULATION | £713 | £805 | £708 | £747 |
| PLASTERING | £615 | £634 | £624 | £668 |
| ROOFING | £1,177 | £1,133 | £746 | £1,031 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £427 | £446 | £431 | £456 |
| SHOP FITTING | £674 | £700 | £643 | £690 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £726 | £809 | £640 | £552 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £836 | £792 | £753 | £780 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £782 | £816 | £732 | £747 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £812 | £845 | £761 | £709 |
| ELECTRICAL | £911 | £941 | £821 | £860 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £748 | £779 | £897 | £689 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £803 | £840 | £785 | £806 |
| INSULATION | £1,383 | £1,333 | £1,043 | £1,246 |
| JOINERY | £1,205 | £1,219 | £952 | £1,196 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,200 | £1,223 | £978 | £1,148 |
| PLASTERING | £690 | £796 | £670 | £632 |
| PLUMBING | £826 | £937 | £793 | £853 |
| ROOFING | £847 | £889 | £844 | £800 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £617 | £676 | £542 | £611 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,163 | £1,333 | £958 | £994 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £891 | £880 | £882 | £910 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £705 | £732 | £705 | £622 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £827 | £897 | £729 | £752 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £752 | £756 | £670 | £715 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £831 | £860 | £777 | £827 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £605 | £634 | £569 | £614 |
| ELECTRICAL | £947 | £941 | £938 | £1,008 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £882 | £893 | £823 | £866 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £839 | £855 | £775 | £828 |
| JOINERY | £790 | £765 | £841 | £739 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £950 | £1,029 | £889 | £1,025 |
| PLASTERING | £808 | £910 | £820 | £797 |
| PLUMBING | £661 | £775 | £629 | £689 |
| ROOFING | £673 | £660 | £661 | £644 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £621 | £579 | £567 | £579 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,363 | £1,366 | £1,170 | £1,377 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,007 | £1,021 | £825 | £997 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £920 | £803 | £943 | £1,030 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £888 | £926 | £811 | £917 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £849 | £861 | £790 | £833 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £822 | £817 | £736 | £767 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,072 | £1,061 | £882 | £993 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £716 | £773 | £978 | £874 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,055 | £1,031 | £936 | £1,036 |
| INSULATION | £864 | £813 | £817 | £901 |
| JOINERY | £865 | £853 | £890 | £834 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,524 | £1,833 | £1,459 | £1,596 |
| PLASTERING | £687 | £754 | £685 | £717 |
| PLUMBING | £994 | £1,015 | £1,078 | £1,120 |
| ROOFING | £947 | £895 | £885 | £935 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £820 | £814 | £788 | £810 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,040 | £841 | £887 | £1,379 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £842 | £849 | £868 | £923 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £643 | £654 | £1,246 | £1,002 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £907 | £916 | £796 | £863 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £939 | £899 | £769 | £825 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £981 | £1,051 | £866 | £967 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £612 | £790 | £594 | £607 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,202 | £1,305 | £1,096 | £1,207 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £892 | £858 | £809 | £864 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £912 | £930 | £831 | £902 |
| INSULATION | £826 | £940 | £750 | £901 |
| JOINERY | £1,205 | £1,065 | £993 | £1,109 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,261 | £1,163 | £1,294 | £1,184 |
| PLASTERING | £703 | £718 | £676 | £661 |
| PLUMBING | £1,207 | £1,053 | £1,017 | £1,097 |
| ROOFING | £604 | £633 | £546 | £616 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £651 | £654 | £646 | £720 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,289 | £968 | £1,053 | £965 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £953 | £982 | £680 | £869 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £838 | £851 | £703 | £771 |
Wales
| WALES | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £801 | £780 | £748 | £756 |
| ELECTRICAL | £930 | £1,038 | £824 | £924 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,346 | £1,157 | £1,298 | £1,383 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £861 | £863 | £845 | £927 |
| PLASTERING | £1,170 | £1,284 | £1,203 | £1,366 |
| PLUMBING | £892 | £1,109 | £820 | £949 |
| ROOFING | £517 | £459 | £452 | £431 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £716 | £648 | £757 | £736 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £788 | £963 | £805 | £747 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £730 | £779 | £843 | £834 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,281 | £1,146 | £888 | £1,244 |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £806 | £808 | £757 | £750 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £935 | £934 | £884 | £914 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £743 | £752 | £724 | £742 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,306 | £1,281 | £1,117 | £1,320 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £903 | £956 | £918 | £904 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £954 | £969 | £888 | £946 |
| INSULATION | £1,060 | £1,042 | £938 | £1,000 |
| JOINERY | £1,309 | £1,091 | £1,134 | £1,329 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,054 | £1,100 | £986 | £1,018 |
| PLASTERING | £914 | £995 | £818 | £901 |
| PLUMBING | £1,404 | £1,356 | £1,186 | £1,350 |
| ROOFING | £733 | £781 | £725 | £778 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £894 | £969 | £813 | £853 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,309 | £1,409 | £965 | £1,338 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £897 | £832 | £912 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £761 | £724 | £638 | £693 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £756 | £749 | £669 | £738 |
London
| LONDON | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £739 | £771 | £670 | £713 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £836 | £854 | £801 | £835 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £588 | £656 | £786 | |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,102 | £1,058 | £987 | £1,098 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £750 | £731 | £718 | £942 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £975 | £1,012 | £890 | £1,004 |
| INSULATION | £881 | £876 | £780 | £866 |
| JOINERY | £1,087 | £1,231 | £909 | £1,113 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,066 | £1,269 | £1,058 | £1,115 |
| PLASTERING | £1,180 | £1,244 | £994 | £1,320 |
| PLUMBING | £1,029 | £968 | £902 | £999 |
| ROOFING | £721 | £717 | £918 | £905 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £1,169 | £1,140 | £1,097 | £1,152 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,113 | £1,306 | £944 | £1,136 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,129 | £1,142 | £955 | £1,125 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £694 | £700 | £853 | £987 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £719 | £593 | £500 | £425 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £788 | £788 | £725 | £749 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £818 | £836 | £770 | £793 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,262 | £1,124 | £1,013 | £1,210 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,242 | £1,109 | £1,082 | £1,104 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £843 | £887 | £791 | £847 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £872 | £873 | £827 | £845 |
| INSULATION | £957 | £1,473 | £1,131 | £729 |
| JOINERY | £952 | £1,025 | £892 | £1,037 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,024 | £1,162 | £1,071 | £1,015 |
| PLASTERING | £892 | £819 | £769 | £756 |
| PLUMBING | £1,135 | £1,159 | £1,059 | £1,105 |
| ROOFING | £801 | £834 | £735 | £738 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £830 | £854 | £752 | £817 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,268 | £1,388 | £1,183 | £1,367 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £791 | £816 | £787 | £856 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £746 | £798 | £680 | £754 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £947 | £1,031 | £796 | £832 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Nov-18 | Dec-18 | Jan-19 | Feb-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,477 | £600 | £1,318 | £1,543 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £761 | £804 | £673 | £725 |
| ELECTRICAL | £706 | £788 | £753 | £624 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £763 | £1,028 | £737 | £761 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £878 | £957 | £770 | £860 |
| INSULATION | £1,524 | £1,417 | £1,313 | £1,340 |
| JOINERY | £1,117 | £1,066 | £991 | £992 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £622 | £689 | £616 | £616 |
| PLASTERING | £747 | £753 | £741 | £765 |
| PLUMBING | £1,309 | £1,489 | £1,461 | £1,188 |
| ROOFING | £825 | £799 | £805 | £839 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £648 | £817 | £927 | £723 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £653 | £630 | £620 |