Sub-contractor Pay Trends February 2020
Record February for freelancers before pandemic hit economy
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.
Freelancers enjoyed the strongest February earnings on record, according to our latest figures.
Analysis of payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies in England and Wales shows a weekly average of £924 for tradespeople, a 0.3 per cent increase on January. This represents growth of 3.9 per cent on February 2019 and continued the strong start to 2020, as revealed in January.
The West Midlands was the best-performing region with average earnings rising by 3.7 per cent to £991.The North West also saw strong growth, with average earnings rising by 2.9 per cent to £880.
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “Of course, we have now entered uncharted waters with the coronavirus epidemic and are already seeing a slowdown in activity.
“Before the virus reared its ugly head, builders were benefiting from the post-election improvement in business confidence and pent-up demand for new projects.
“This was echoed by last month’s purchasing managers index which suggested a return to growth in the sector.
“We will be keeping a close eye on the impact of the pandemic, are well prepared for the inevitable disruption and can only hope it is over quickly.”
| Region | February 2020 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £766 | -1.0% | 0.1% |
| North West | £880 | 2.9% | 12.2% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £828 | 0.1% | -1.4% |
| East Midlands | £950 | -0.2% | 4.0% |
| West Midlands | £991 | 3.7% | 4.6% |
| Wales | £802 | -2.7% | -1.7% |
| East of England | £966 | -0.2% | 2.2% |
| London | £914 | -3.7% | 0.1% |
| South East | £932 | -1.6% | 6.1% |
| South West | £858 | -0.9% | 9.0% |
To access Hudson Contract’s Construction Pay Trends index, please click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £798 | £1,416 | £827 | £798 |
| ELECTRICAL | £854 | - | £1,427 | £909 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £739 | £986 | £1,121 | £656 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £834 | £1,081 | £723 | £737 |
| INSULATION | £732 | £1,123 | £768 | £817 |
| JOINERY | £732 | £750 | £717 | |
| PLASTERING | £747 | £600 | £702 | £739 |
| ROOFING | £964 | £677 | £748 | £773 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £405 | £569 | £217 | £392 |
| SHOP FITTING | £689 | - | £680 | £723 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £754 | £588 | £604 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £762 | £908 | £741 | £809 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £786 | £1,038 | £803 | £794 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £765 | £808 | £799 | £795 |
| ELECTRICAL | £935 | £1,082 | £868 | £891 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £689 | £667 | £931 | £731 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,032 | £917 | £992 | £1,076 |
| INSULATION | £700 | £1,156 | £614 | £802 |
| JOINERY | £1,191 | £571 | £1,121 | £1,184 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,175 | £979 | £1,270 | £1,067 |
| PLASTERING | £681 | £770 | £653 | £596 |
| PLUMBING | £986 | £857 | £729 | £893 |
| ROOFING | £967 | £874 | £882 | £860 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £708 | £1,140 | £700 | £673 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,177 | £987 | £1,065 | £1,190 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £795 | £1,018 | £768 | £813 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £645 | £558 | £614 | £613 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,012 | £802 | £788 | £969 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £740 | £948 | £690 | £715 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,114 | £834 | £833 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £810 | £865 | £886 | £815 |
| ELECTRICAL | £988 | £868 | £899 | £920 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £890 | £883 | £808 | £846 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £832 | £888 | £822 | £830 |
| INSULATION | £762 | £976 | £653 | £790 |
| JOINERY | £738 | £802 | £754 | £779 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,100 | £690 | £939 | £972 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,241 | £815 | £831 |
| PLUMBING | £782 | £839 | £876 | £831 |
| ROOFING | £673 | £906 | £699 | £679 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £550 | £921 | £524 | £512 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,378 | £718 | £1,236 | £1,433 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £854 | £880 | £1,038 | £777 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £956 | £432 | £964 | £1,195 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £869 | £865 | £692 | £797 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £849 | £1,238 | £895 | £905 |
| ELECTRICAL | £977 | £640 | £880 | £970 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,120 | £1,067 | £1,010 | £1,114 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,037 | £1,064 | £1,038 | £1,023 |
| INSULATION | £927 | £1,300 | £848 | £901 |
| JOINERY | £801 | - | £810 | £775 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,824 | £1,061 | £1,855 | £1,826 |
| PLASTERING | £827 | £829 | £939 | £848 |
| PLUMBING | £882 | £978 | £1,240 | £1,339 |
| ROOFING | £934 | £1,125 | £937 | £932 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £860 | £1,052 | £778 | £848 |
| SHOP FITTING | £692 | - | £1,763 | £1,011 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £828 | £1,048 | £980 | £853 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £968 | - | £617 | £890 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £948 | £1,261 | £975 | £982 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £975 | £1,210 | £879 | £866 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £987 | £1,096 | £925 | £1,003 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £657 | £1,009 | £676 | £681 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,245 | £927 | £1,423 | £1,279 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £948 | £1,238 | £920 | £952 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £915 | £1,115 | £1,125 | £957 |
| INSULATION | £845 | £1,859 | £762 | £861 |
| JOINERY | £1,124 | £689 | £1,256 | £1,070 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,574 | £649 | £1,540 | £1,863 |
| PLASTERING | £635 | £699 | £745 | £629 |
| PLUMBING | £1,183 | £699 | £1,484 | £1,151 |
| ROOFING | £578 | £1,076 | £596 | £578 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £634 | £1,233 | £720 | £673 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,239 | £630 | £1,597 | £1,223 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,022 | £1,062 | £733 | £1,012 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £853 | £1,009 | £697 | £790 |
Wales
| WALES | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £767 | £957 | £769 | £781 |
| ELECTRICAL | £918 | £882 | £894 | £991 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,263 | £766 | £1,760 | £1,193 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £907 | £905 | £875 | £915 |
| JOINERY | £953 | - | £569 | £429 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | - | - | £662 | £689 |
| PLASTERING | £1,505 | £585 | £1,260 | £1,365 |
| PLUMBING | £914 | £1,445 | £870 | £986 |
| ROOFING | £551 | £836 | £467 | £550 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £730 | £814 | £688 | £691 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £812 | £959 | £810 | £867 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,002 | £705 | £749 | £659 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,185 | £982 | £1,320 | £733 |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £804 | £1,435 | £783 | £791 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £959 | £1,307 | £979 | £978 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £781 | £942 | £831 | £836 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,451 | £709 | £1,476 | £1,465 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £908 | £953 | £1,032 | £985 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £962 | £848 | £943 | £973 |
| INSULATION | £1,012 | £905 | £936 | £997 |
| JOINERY | £1,200 | £955 | £1,363 | £1,264 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,181 | £829 | £1,155 | £1,067 |
| PLASTERING | £872 | £943 | £887 | £879 |
| PLUMBING | £1,324 | £1,120 | £1,420 | £1,306 |
| ROOFING | £806 | £970 | £777 | £814 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £918 | £977 | £903 | £914 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,192 | £708 | £1,095 | £1,698 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £819 | £1,055 | £832 | £843 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £686 | - | £639 | £728 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £735 | £907 | £706 | £741 |
London
| LONDON | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £750 | £1,042 | £714 | £750 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £840 | £1,121 | £821 | £838 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £808 | £885 | - | - |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,023 | £929 | £1,297 | £1,075 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £765 | £978 | £867 | £812 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,068 | £868 | £1,229 | £1,104 |
| INSULATION | £896 | £517 | £1,710 | £765 |
| JOINERY | £1,158 | £1,763 | £1,173 | £1,170 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £991 | £1,024 | £1,290 | £942 |
| PLASTERING | £695 | £878 | £643 | £779 |
| PLUMBING | £1,117 | £914 | £1,489 | £1,204 |
| ROOFING | £916 | £1,001 | £838 | £937 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £1,033 | £1,107 | £1,012 | £961 |
| SHOP FITTING | £838 | £1,549 | £1,984 | £809 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,122 | £1,124 | £1,079 | £1,100 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £582 | - | £823 | £669 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £575 | £817 | £467 | £525 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £820 | £1,234 | £778 | £798 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,192 | £841 | £836 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,241 | £905 | £1,031 | £1,221 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,318 | £1,138 | £1,481 | £1,337 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £870 | £869 | £891 | £933 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £889 | £1,014 | £925 | £899 |
| INSULATION | - | £369 | £950 | £950 |
| JOINERY | £1,042 | £693 | £1,120 | £1,028 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,061 | £842 | £1,497 | £1,099 |
| PLASTERING | £683 | £970 | £777 | £775 |
| PLUMBING | £1,111 | £861 | £1,286 | £1,118 |
| ROOFING | £799 | £1,011 | £786 | £775 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £834 | £949 | £810 | £844 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,357 | £676 | £1,171 | £1,264 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £1,067 | £867 | £881 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £766 | £1,210 | £782 | £807 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £946 | £997 | £804 | £960 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,474 | £949 | £1,289 | £1,735 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £808 | £832 | £757 | £800 |
| ELECTRICAL | £750 | £720 | £822 | £779 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £676 | £820 | £891 | £938 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £862 | £871 | £978 | £876 |
| INSULATION | £1,243 | £848 | £1,260 | £1,300 |
| JOINERY | £1,076 | £1,386 | £1,321 | £1,155 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £687 | £934 | £657 | £723 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,138 | £677 | £682 |
| PLUMBING | £1,764 | £932 | £1,335 | £1,750 |
| ROOFING | £856 | £798 | £760 | £847 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £740 | £996 | £1,253 | £424 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £654 | £913 | £683 | £676 |