Sub-contractor Pay Trends September 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 split across ten regions.
Earnings for freelance tradespeople in the construction sector dipped by 1.7 per cent last month, according to latest figures released by Hudson Contract.
Analysis of September payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies in England and Wales reveals a weekly average of £889 for subcontractors.
Underlying demand remains strong for tradespeople with average earnings 2.5 per cent higher than the same month last year.
Our regional breakdown shows Wales was the best-performing territory with average earnings rising by 1.1 per cent to £796 a week during September. The country has a number of major construction projects including a £280m schools programme.
| Region | September 2019 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £773 | -1.9% | 0.4% |
| North West | £839 | -2.4% | 8.1% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £825 | -2.8% | 1.1% |
| East Midlands | £908 | -2.5% | 5.1% |
| West Midlands | £950 | -1.6% | 2.9% |
| Wales | £796 | 1.1% | -1.8% |
| East of England | £916 | -2.2% | -0.1% |
| London | £886 | -0.7% | 2.4% |
| South East | £897 | -0.4% | 1.0% |
| South West | £799 | -1.7% | 1.7% |
Roofing contractors saw the strongest growth last month with average earnings rising by 2.6 per cent to £834 per week across England and Wales.
They were followed by scaffolding and lifting contractors, up 1.4 per cent to £851, and bricklaying contractors, up 1 per cent to £787.
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “Beyond the national headlines about Brexit-related uncertainty in the construction sector, we see demand for housing remains high as does demand for highly skilled tradespeople.
“The UK has a shortage of new homes and is way off government targets of 300,000 per year, managing 170,000 completions last year.
“This means self-employed specialists will continue to be able to command a premium for their valuable services.”
To access Hudson Contract’s Construction Pay Trends index, please click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £808 | £812 | £811 | £788 |
| ELECTRICAL | £911 | £996 | £874 | £815 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £685 | £634 | £619 | £611 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £778 | £804 | £776 | £782 |
| INSULATION | £710 | £727 | £783 | £753 |
| PLASTERING | £670 | £667 | £788 | £755 |
| ROOFING | £945 | £915 | £874 | £1,036 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £468 | £415 | £422 | £490 |
| SHOP FITTING | £722 | £662 | £735 | £700 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £685 | £576 | £653 | £626 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £891 | £871 | £821 | £798 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £761 | £781 | £777 | £762 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £723 | £765 | £778 | £681 |
| ELECTRICAL | £812 | £852 | £841 | £860 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £754 | £757 | £737 | £694 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £835 | £863 | £847 | £783 |
| INSULATION | £1,222 | £1,282 | £1,405 | £999 |
| JOINERY | £1,067 | £1,075 | £1,048 | £1,084 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,075 | £1,154 | £1,138 | £939 |
| PLASTERING | £648 | £608 | £567 | £549 |
| PLUMBING | £783 | £799 | £945 | £873 |
| ROOFING | £889 | £916 | £955 | £947 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £649 | £641 | £649 | £644 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,060 | £1,260 | £1,159 | £1,110 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,254 | £1,290 | £1,247 | £1,257 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £640 | £561 | £530 | £693 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £855 | £944 | £941 | £940 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £767 | £767 | £777 | £704 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £803 | £826 | £833 | £824 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £631 | £687 | £707 | £694 |
| ELECTRICAL | £884 | £909 | £854 | £925 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £862 | £720 | £953 | £953 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £842 | £863 | £834 | £820 |
| INSULATION | £647 | £715 | £880 | £793 |
| JOINERY | £701 | £793 | £767 | £685 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,086 | £1,131 | £999 | £1,021 |
| PLASTERING | £839 | £840 | £759 | £813 |
| PLUMBING | £734 | £680 | £727 | £646 |
| ROOFING | £733 | £691 | £713 | £659 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £577 | £557 | £582 | £565 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,249 | £1,291 | £1,241 | £1,379 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,010 | £1,014 | £981 | £773 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,204 | £1,132 | £925 | £662 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £841 | £1,031 | £928 | £904 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £796 | £860 | £852 | £845 |
| ELECTRICAL | £989 | £1,079 | £1,004 | £954 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £984 | £1,022 | £1,028 | £1,074 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,042 | £1,092 | £1,068 | £1,020 |
| INSULATION | £853 | £836 | £828 | £870 |
| JOINERY | £859 | £861 | £885 | £769 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,925 | £1,669 | £1,674 | £1,662 |
| PLASTERING | £736 | £740 | £733 | £717 |
| PLUMBING | £1,108 | £1,282 | £1,048 | £1,058 |
| ROOFING | £796 | £854 | £814 | £958 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £743 | £819 | £828 | £825 |
| SHOP FITTING | £678 | £827 | £756 | £1,000 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £771 | £849 | £852 | £802 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £903 | £881 | £889 | £816 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £824 | £907 | £919 | £903 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £938 | £941 | £894 | £955 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £939 | £992 | £975 | £961 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £687 | £662 | £619 | £579 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,189 | £1,207 | £1,208 | £1,181 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £818 | £894 | £905 | £866 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £863 | £960 | £915 | £898 |
| INSULATION | £797 | £918 | £799 | £791 |
| JOINERY | £1,166 | £1,158 | £1,025 | £1,057 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,549 | £1,653 | £1,784 | £1,407 |
| PLASTERING | £754 | £726 | £874 | £712 |
| PLUMBING | £1,036 | £1,073 | £988 | £988 |
| ROOFING | £659 | £618 | £560 | £646 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £746 | £720 | £732 | £614 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,466 | £1,257 | £1,306 | £1,306 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £974 | £949 | £971 | £969 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £769 | £825 | £843 | £829 |
Wales
| WALES | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £743 | £763 | £753 | £763 |
| ELECTRICAL | £859 | £843 | £833 | £774 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,315 | £1,369 | £1,218 | £1,292 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £962 | £963 | £896 | £859 |
| Joinery | £2,228 | £1,710 | £1,486 | £979 |
| PLASTERING | £977 | £1,118 | £970 | £1,043 |
| PLUMBING | £1,004 | £956 | £933 | £961 |
| ROOFING | £554 | £496 | £548 | £441 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £941 | £811 | £686 | £771 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £808 | £811 | £775 | £858 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £730 | £695 | £671 | £617 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,045 | £1,165 | £1,100 | £1,125 |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £785 | £798 | £786 | £792 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £904 | £952 | £919 | £903 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £773 | £863 | £866 | £771 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,326 | £1,303 | £1,278 | £1,292 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £858 | £903 | £883 | £868 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £952 | £956 | £958 | £927 |
| INSULATION | £920 | £993 | £971 | £931 |
| JOINERY | £1,221 | £1,277 | £1,168 | £1,121 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,132 | £1,183 | £1,133 | £1,092 |
| PLASTERING | £864 | £916 | £925 | £873 |
| PLUMBING | £1,336 | £1,328 | £1,317 | £1,274 |
| ROOFING | £729 | £798 | £850 | £923 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £881 | £863 | £877 | £866 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,290 | £1,246 | £1,257 | £1,220 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £833 | £839 | £834 | £838 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £691 | £646 | £783 | £647 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £699 | £755 | £738 | £704 |
London
| LONDON | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £766 | £815 | £774 | £767 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £832 | £857 | £828 | £821 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £744 | £721 | £865 | £827 |
| ELECTRICAL | £920 | £973 | £905 | £914 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £807 | £848 | £796 | £786 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,008 | £963 | £958 | £967 |
| INSULATION | £827 | £926 | £798 | £1,034 |
| JOINERY | £1,240 | £1,254 | £1,286 | £1,193 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,184 | £1,095 | £1,043 | £1,228 |
| PLASTERING | £705 | £510 | £633 | £653 |
| PLUMBING | £966 | £1,014 | £973 | £967 |
| ROOFING | £988 | £911 | £957 | £905 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £1,109 | £1,043 | £949 | £975 |
| SHOP FITTING | £970 | £1,032 | £1,095 | £1,057 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,138 | £1,061 | £1,069 | £1,022 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,081 | £951 | £1,089 | £771 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £518 | £480 | £586 | £433 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £768 | £815 | £755 | £784 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £805 | £840 | £827 | £814 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,220 | £1,160 | £1,183 | £1,197 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,191 | £1,180 | £1,148 | £1,196 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £849 | £840 | £868 | £850 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £899 | £943 | £899 | £874 |
| INSULATION | £843 | £1,165 | £1,718 | £2,250 |
| JOINERY | £1,008 | £1,007 | £1,032 | £1,056 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,048 | £1,088 | £1,118 | £1,083 |
| PLASTERING | £719 | £698 | £681 | £690 |
| PLUMBING | £1,127 | £1,129 | £1,116 | £1,047 |
| ROOFING | £769 | £774 | £774 | £786 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £805 | £827 | £804 | £819 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,441 | £1,316 | £1,275 | £1,262 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £853 | £854 | £882 | £870 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £750 | £727 | £775 | £710 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £844 | £933 | £885 | £856 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Jun-19 | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,525 | £1,711 | £714 | £1,183 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £730 | £735 | £771 | £756 |
| ELECTRICAL | £726 | £735 | £693 | £739 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £790 | £857 | £836 | £749 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £865 | £877 | £843 | £817 |
| INSULATION | £1,427 | £1,404 | £1,401 | £1,276 |
| JOINERY | £1,113 | £1,135 | £1,093 | £1,136 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £649 | £619 | £681 | £651 |
| PLASTERING | £798 | £779 | £674 | £815 |
| PLUMBING | £1,164 | £1,177 | £1,328 | £1,600 |
| ROOFING | £879 | £789 | £767 | £783 |
| SHOP FITTING | - | - | - | - |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,360 | £675 | £1,235 | £1,091 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £629 | £643 | £650 | £622 |