Sub-contractor Pay Trends July 2020
Construction recovery: SMEs weather the storm better than large firms
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.
Smaller construction companies are leading the recovery from the economic downturn, according to our analysis.
As the industry’s biggest payer of subcontractors, our payroll data provides a unique insight into demand for labour.
Our findings show that SMEs appear to have bounced back faster than their large counterparts. They are using 21 per cent fewer subcontractors than the week before lockdown. Large firms meanwhile have cut 30 per cent of subcontractors.
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “SMEs are leading the recovery in the construction industry.
“Smaller companies are proving more resilient, agile and adaptive to the new circumstances and are investing in skilled subcontractors to retain productive labour and finish jobs.
“They will help Britain to build the new homes and infrastructure we need to ensure a sustainable economic recovery.”
Mr Anfield added: “By contrast, large construction firms tend to work on more complex projects which have been hit harder by the downturn.
“They are also reporting a shortage of labour as a result of generous Government support schemes.”
The activity levels of large firms have recovered since the depths of lockdown when the average number of subcontractors paid fell by 77 per cent.
The average number used by smaller firms dipped by 66 per cent.
We compared the average number of freelance tradespeople paid in the weeks commencing March 16, April 20 and July 20.
The analysis reflects the labour demands of micro, small, medium and large companies that continued to operate during the period.
Overall, average weekly earnings for subcontractors recovered by 4.8 per cent to £889 during the month of July, the highest number since March.
The best-performing regions were Wales (up 12 per cent), Yorkshire and the Humber (up 9.9 per cent) and the East of England and South East (both up 7.8 per cent).
| Region | July 2020 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £750 | -1.3% | -3.6% |
| North West | £825 | 2.2% | -5.4% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £836 | 9.9% | -3.6% |
| East Midlands | £876 | 7.4% | -7.1% |
| West Midlands | £922 | 3.9% | -6.2% |
| Wales | £915 | 12.0% | 12.0% |
| East of England | £966 | 7.8% | 1.9% |
| London | £899 | -2.8% | -2.1% |
| South East | £958 | 7.8% | 3.8% |
| South West | £880 | 0.2% | 8.8% |
To access Hudson Contract’s Construction Pay Trends index, please click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £798 | £1,416 | £827 | £798 | £708 | £636 | £682 | £786 | £871 |
| ELECTRICAL | £854 | - | £1,427 | £909 | £774 | £583 | £788 | £766 | £774 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £739 | £986 | £1,121 | £656 | £618 | - | £628 | £667 | £541 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £834 | £1,081 | £723 | £737 | £707 | £583 | £633 | £665 | £669 |
| INSULATION | £732 | £1,123 | £768 | £817 | £780 | £503 | £801 | £768 | £795 |
| JOINERY | £732 | £750 | £717 | £619 | £281 | £557 | £666 | £669 | |
| PLASTERING | £747 | £600 | £702 | £739 | £696 | £680 | £627 | £621 | £595 |
| ROOFING | £964 | £677 | £748 | £773 | £855 | £463 | £1,085 | £943 | £1,114 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £405 | £569 | £217 | £392 | £398 | £430 | £422 | £472 | |
| SHOP FITTING | £689 | - | £680 | £723 | £683 | £662 | £893 | £1,019 | £834 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £754 | £588 | £604 | £669 | £560 | £602 | £737 | £564 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £762 | £908 | £741 | £809 | £720 | £684 | £731 | £714 | £776 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £786 | £1,038 | £803 | £794 | £775 | £582 | £780 | £793 | £815 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £765 | £808 | £799 | £795 | £777 | £563 | £748 | £671 | £692 |
| ELECTRICAL | £935 | £1,082 | £868 | £891 | £931 | £695 | £779 | £846 | £788 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £689 | £667 | £931 | £731 | £739 | £701 | £783 | £755 | £780 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,032 | £917 | £992 | £1,076 | £1,022 | £920 | £910 | £977 | £959 |
| INSULATION | £700 | £1,156 | £614 | £802 | £684 | £423 | £544 | £758 | £590 |
| JOINERY | £1,191 | £571 | £1,121 | £1,184 | £1,154 | £799 | £1,178 | £1,218 | £1,092 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,175 | £979 | £1,270 | £1,067 | £1,037 | £878 | £669 | £813 | £995 |
| PLASTERING | £681 | £770 | £653 | £596 | £724 | £713 | £533 | £410 | £646 |
| PLUMBING | £986 | £857 | £729 | £893 | £861 | £1,329 | £890 | £808 | £965 |
| ROOFING | £967 | £874 | £882 | £860 | £918 | £719 | £883 | £846 | £892 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £708 | £1,140 | £700 | £673 | £590 | £531 | £618 | £648 | £637 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,177 | £987 | £1,065 | £1,190 | £1,053 | £451 | £1,103 | £914 | £830 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £795 | £1,018 | £768 | £813 | £772 | £711 | £764 | £732 | £787 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £645 | £558 | £614 | £613 | £678 | £273 | £635 | £528 | £558 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,012 | £802 | £788 | £969 | £943 | £705 | £816 | £894 | £876 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £740 | £948 | £690 | £715 | £820 | £621 | £709 | £708 | £792 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,114 | £834 | £833 | £990 | £674 | £749 | £743 | £819 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £810 | £865 | £886 | £815 | £589 | £646 | £609 | £754 | £742 |
| ELECTRICAL | £988 | £868 | £899 | £920 | £1,385 | £799 | £732 | £823 | £981 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £890 | £883 | £808 | £846 | £779 | £707 | £809 | £808 | £829 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £832 | £888 | £822 | £830 | £920 | £707 | £768 | £765 | £830 |
| INSULATION | £762 | £976 | £653 | £790 | £869 | £559 | £710 | £685 | £666 |
| JOINERY | £738 | £802 | £754 | £779 | £1,161 | £497 | £694 | £709 | £755 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,100 | £690 | £939 | £972 | £1,343 | £572 | £787 | £829 | £1,012 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,241 | £815 | £831 | £669 | £696 | £890 | £787 | £777 |
| PLUMBING | £782 | £839 | £876 | £831 | £992 | £566 | £592 | £685 | £695 |
| ROOFING | £673 | £906 | £699 | £679 | £577 | £527 | £597 | £567 | £693 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £550 | £921 | £524 | £512 | £700 | £543 | £596 | £559 | £586 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,378 | £718 | £1,236 | £1,433 | £1,623 | £439 | £915 | £1,021 | £1,175 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £854 | £880 | £1,038 | £777 | £898 | £736 | £759 | £677 | £821 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £956 | £432 | £964 | £1,195 | - | £845 | £1,062 | £1,026 | £1,099 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £869 | £865 | £692 | £797 | £844 | £675 | £688 | £761 | £841 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £849 | £1,238 | £895 | £905 | £859 | £615 | £699 | £737 | £817 |
| ELECTRICAL | £977 | £640 | £880 | £970 | £749 | £831 | £875 | £827 | £841 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,120 | £1,067 | £1,010 | £1,114 | £1,042 | £928 | £833 | £759 | £885 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,037 | £1,064 | £1,038 | £1,023 | £1,001 | £842 | £987 | £934 | £948 |
| INSULATION | £927 | £1,300 | £848 | £901 | £840 | £980 | £721 | £790 | £919 |
| JOINERY | £801 | - | £810 | £775 | £836 | £635 | £681 | £763 | £648 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,824 | £1,061 | £1,855 | £1,826 | £1,558 | £1,532 | £1,334 | £1,378 | £1,480 |
| PLASTERING | £827 | £829 | £939 | £848 | £760 | £639 | £723 | £751 | £764 |
| PLUMBING | £882 | £978 | £1,240 | £1,339 | £1,072 | £956 | £968 | £973 | £1,039 |
| ROOFING | £934 | £1,125 | £937 | £932 | £844 | £642 | £729 | £695 | £786 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £860 | £1,052 | £778 | £848 | £785 | £518 | £678 | £728 | £752 |
| SHOP FITTING | £692 | - | £1,763 | £1,011 | £1,171 | £982 | £823 | £662 | £763 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £828 | £1,048 | £980 | £853 | £902 | £795 | £817 | £811 | £801 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £968 | - | £617 | £890 | £673 | £678 | £537 | £645 | £898 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £948 | £1,261 | £975 | £982 | £894 | £714 | £805 | £806 | £899 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £975 | £1,210 | £879 | £866 | £716 | £728 | £969 | £884 | £881 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £987 | £1,096 | £925 | £1,003 | £821 | £652 | £866 | £858 | £919 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £657 | £1,009 | £676 | £681 | £779 | £758 | £599 | £642 | £692 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,245 | £927 | £1,423 | £1,279 | £1,120 | £1,143 | £1,126 | £1,217 | £1,322 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £948 | £1,238 | £920 | £952 | £761 | £764 | £811 | £828 | £873 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £915 | £1,115 | £1,125 | £957 | £789 | £620 | £809 | £813 | £872 |
| INSULATION | £845 | £1,859 | £762 | £861 | £733 | £888 | £1,034 | £775 | £849 |
| JOINERY | £1,124 | £689 | £1,256 | £1,070 | £644 | £706 | £1,026 | £1,114 | £1,052 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,574 | £649 | £1,540 | £1,863 | £992 | £1,074 | £1,960 | £1,306 | £795 |
| PLASTERING | £635 | £699 | £745 | £629 | £747 | £636 | £711 | £700 | £666 |
| PLUMBING | £1,183 | £699 | £1,484 | £1,151 | £789 | £945 | £1,043 | £748 | £935 |
| ROOFING | £578 | £1,076 | £596 | £578 | £677 | £439 | £531 | £539 | £588 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £634 | £1,233 | £720 | £673 | £544 | £608 | £653 | £646 | £696 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,239 | £630 | £1,597 | £1,223 | £1,132 | £493 | £1,262 | £1,611 | £1,749 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,022 | £1,062 | £733 | £1,012 | £787 | £744 | £799 | £926 | £973 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £853 | £1,009 | £697 | £790 | £961 | £685 | £677 | £708 | £728 |
Wales
| WALES | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £767 | £957 | £769 | £781 | £766 | £682 | £759 | £778 | £829 |
| ELECTRICAL | £918 | £882 | £894 | £991 | £990 | - | £966 | £406 | £1,201 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,263 | £766 | £1,760 | £1,193 | £1,578 | £1,300 | £1,308 | £1,300 | £1,431 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £907 | £905 | £875 | £915 | £892 | £712 | £825 | £800 | £872 |
| JOINERY | £953 | - | £569 | £429 | £530 | £638 | - | - | - |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | - | - | £662 | £689 | £762 | £411 | £580 | £427 | £462 |
| PLASTERING | £1,505 | £585 | £1,260 | £1,365 | £1,225 | - | £1,400 | £1,260 | £1,260 |
| PLUMBING | £914 | £1,445 | £870 | £986 | £971 | £720 | £592 | £859 | £911 |
| ROOFING | £551 | £836 | £467 | £550 | £509 | £366 | £607 | - | £923 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £730 | £814 | £688 | £691 | £621 | £477 | £520 | £556 | £555 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £812 | £959 | £810 | £867 | £910 | £583 | £791 | £795 | £863 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,002 | £705 | £749 | £659 | £909 | £436 | £980 | £840 | £878 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,185 | £982 | £1,320 | £733 | £1,392 | £795 | £600 | - | - |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £804 | £1,435 | £783 | £791 | £737 | £666 | £738 | £680 | £764 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £959 | £1,307 | £979 | £978 | £912 | £575 | £829 | £784 | £889 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £781 | £942 | £831 | £836 | £790 | £715 | £714 | £713 | £792 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,451 | £709 | £1,476 | £1,465 | £1,492 | £1,174 | £1,295 | £1,344 | £1,528 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £908 | £953 | £1,032 | £985 | £966 | £744 | £928 | £931 | £893 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £962 | £848 | £943 | £973 | £911 | £765 | £857 | £851 | £894 |
| INSULATION | £1,012 | £905 | £936 | £997 | £937 | £684 | £1,047 | £952 | £915 |
| JOINERY | £1,200 | £955 | £1,363 | £1,264 | £1,247 | £1,527 | £884 | £1,168 | £1,208 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,181 | £829 | £1,155 | £1,067 | £1,063 | £787 | £920 | £1,102 | £1,028 |
| PLASTERING | £872 | £943 | £887 | £879 | £969 | £853 | £1,013 | £815 | £1,250 |
| PLUMBING | £1,324 | £1,120 | £1,420 | £1,306 | £1,298 | £1,079 | £979 | £1,039 | £1,104 |
| ROOFING | £806 | £970 | £777 | £814 | £851 | £740 | £755 | £796 | £862 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £918 | £977 | £903 | £914 | £793 | £711 | £730 | £745 | £801 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,192 | £708 | £1,095 | £1,698 | £1,492 | £1,486 | £1,133 | £1,424 | £1,356 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £819 | £1,055 | £832 | £843 | £775 | £584 | £736 | £754 | £755 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £686 | - | £639 | £728 | £697 | £392 | £780 | £641 | £830 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £735 | £907 | £706 | £741 | £670 | £459 | £623 | £626 | £609 |
London
| LONDON | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £750 | £1,042 | £714 | £750 | £704 | £643 | £741 | £746 | £789 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £840 | £1,121 | £821 | £838 | £830 | £635 | £798 | £806 | £808 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £808 | £885 | - | - | - | - | - | £651 | - |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,023 | £929 | £1,297 | £1,075 | £966 | £730 | £807 | £1,037 | £919 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £765 | £978 | £867 | £812 | £894 | £531 | £671 | £681 | £601 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,068 | £868 | £1,229 | £1,104 | £1,105 | £935 | £924 | £1,012 | £958 |
| INSULATION | £896 | £517 | £1,710 | £765 | £806 | £1,370 | £711 | £872 | £784 |
| JOINERY | £1,158 | £1,763 | £1,173 | £1,170 | £963 | £789 | £643 | £767 | £802 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £991 | £1,024 | £1,290 | £942 | £918 | £925 | £1,040 | £1,185 | £998 |
| PLASTERING | £695 | £878 | £643 | £779 | £743 | - | - | - | - |
| PLUMBING | £1,117 | £914 | £1,489 | £1,204 | £1,158 | £914 | £1,161 | £1,158 | £1,109 |
| ROOFING | £916 | £1,001 | £838 | £937 | £879 | £766 | £722 | £858 | £884 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £1,033 | £1,107 | £1,012 | £961 | £836 | £727 | £820 | £908 | £896 |
| SHOP FITTING | £838 | £1,549 | £1,984 | £809 | £766 | £947 | £1,244 | £1,101 | £1,114 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,122 | £1,124 | £1,079 | £1,100 | £973 | £934 | £924 | £973 | £1,078 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £582 | - | £823 | £669 | £662 | £776 | £700 | £1,047 | £816 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £575 | £817 | £467 | £525 | £500 | - | - | £566 | £600 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £820 | £1,234 | £778 | £798 | £726 | £650 | £846 | £943 | £984 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,192 | £841 | £836 | £816 | £589 | £753 | £785 | £837 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,241 | £905 | £1,031 | £1,221 | £1,207 | £1,012 | £1,070 | £1,188 | £1,153 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,318 | £1,138 | £1,481 | £1,337 | £1,447 | £950 | £1,191 | £1,220 | £1,307 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £870 | £869 | £891 | £933 | £908 | £722 | £803 | £777 | £834 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £889 | £1,014 | £925 | £899 | £835 | £767 | £831 | £842 | £870 |
| INSULATION | - | £369 | £950 | £950 | £997 | £712 | £902 | £902 | £950 |
| JOINERY | £1,042 | £693 | £1,120 | £1,028 | £950 | £929 | £1,065 | £1,206 | £1,097 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,061 | £842 | £1,497 | £1,099 | £1,058 | £654 | £1,193 | £1,051 | £1,128 |
| PLASTERING | £683 | £970 | £777 | £775 | £739 | £325 | £673 | £727 | £745 |
| PLUMBING | £1,111 | £861 | £1,286 | £1,118 | £918 | £1,004 | £781 | £940 | £999 |
| ROOFING | £799 | £1,011 | £786 | £775 | £719 | £614 | £708 | £751 | £785 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £834 | £949 | £810 | £844 | £796 | £625 | £666 | £674 | £849 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,357 | £676 | £1,171 | £1,264 | £1,321 | £827 | £1,972 | £1,096 | £1,288 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £1,067 | £867 | £881 | £820 | £1,068 | £742 | £747 | £791 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £766 | £1,210 | £782 | £807 | £786 | £664 | £723 | £762 | £772 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £946 | £997 | £804 | £960 | £879 | £768 | £594 | £609 | £957 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,474 | £949 | £1,289 | £1,735 | £1,615 | £726 | £540 | - | - |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £808 | £832 | £757 | £800 | £768 | £608 | £775 | £722 | £774 |
| ELECTRICAL | £750 | £720 | £822 | £779 | £744 | £585 | £655 | £719 | £779 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £676 | £820 | £891 | £938 | £937 | £862 | - | - | - |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £862 | £871 | £978 | £876 | £829 | £744 | £854 | £848 | £910 |
| INSULATION | £1,243 | £848 | £1,260 | £1,300 | £1,262 | £1,125 | £1,201 | £1,442 | £1,455 |
| JOINERY | £1,076 | £1,386 | £1,321 | £1,155 | £1,036 | £723 | £898 | £1,018 | £983 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £687 | £934 | £657 | £723 | £713 | £437 | £678 | £726 | £712 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,138 | £677 | £682 | £591 | £531 | £687 | £703 | £904 |
| PLUMBING | £1,764 | £932 | £1,335 | £1,750 | £1,650 | £699 | - | £1,729 | £1,702 |
| ROOFING | £856 | £798 | £760 | £847 | £787 | £527 | £772 | £784 | £720 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £740 | £996 | £1,253 | £424 | £999 | £656 | £774 | £1,096 | £812 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £654 | £913 | £683 | £676 | £664 | £574 | £607 | £591 | £614 |