Sub-contractor Pay Trends August 2020
8 out of 10 subbies back on building sites
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.
Demand for labour in the UK construction industry has recovered 79 per cent of pre-lockdown capacity, according to the biggest payer of subcontractors in the sector.
Hudson Contract made a total of 117,591 payments to freelance operatives in August, compared to a peak of 149,067 in February and a trough of 80,625 in April.
The bounce-back points to a V-shaped recovery for the construction sector.
Ian Anfield, managing director, said: “There is no shortage of work for highly skilled tradespeople, whether they are groundworkers, bricklayers, plasterers or plumbers.
“Building sites are becoming more productive per head and the quality of work is improving because they only have the best lads working on them.
“Building firms have been tightening up on surplus labour because their margins are being squeezed by main contractors asking for discounts, social distancing measures on site and larger projects splitting into smaller schemes.”
Mr Anfield added the remaining proportion of people are choosing not to return to work as a result of state support schemes or seeking opportunities in other sectors.
Overall, average weekly earnings for subcontractors slipped by 1.3 per cent to £877 during the month of August, a similar drop to last year’s holiday season.
The best-performing regions were the North West (up 5.6 per cent), the North East (up 2 per cent) and London (up 0.3 per cent).
| Region | August 2020 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £765 | 2.0% | -2.9% |
| North West | £871 | 5.6% | 1.3% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £812 | -2.9% | -4.4% |
| East Midlands | £851 | -2.9% | -8.6% |
| West Midlands | £905 | -1.8% | -6.2% |
| Wales | £883 | -3.5% | 12.2% |
| East of England | £934 | -3.3% | -0.3% |
| London | £902 | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| South East | £923 | -3.7% | 2.4% |
| South West | £825 | -6.3% | 1.5% |
It is supplying 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
North East
| NORTH EAST | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £682 | £786 | £871 | £940 |
| ELECTRICAL | £788 | £766 | £774 | £739 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £628 | £667 | £541 | £699 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £633 | £665 | £669 | £640 |
| INSULATION | £801 | £768 | £795 | £807 |
| JOINERY | £557 | £666 | £669 | £692 |
| PLASTERING | £627 | £621 | £595 | £620 |
| ROOFING | £1,085 | £943 | £1,114 | £1,030 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £430 | £422 | £472 | £447 |
| SHOP FITTING | £893 | £1,019 | £834 | £947 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £602 | £737 | £564 | £533 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £731 | £714 | £776 | £753 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £780 | £793 | £815 | £819 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £748 | £671 | £692 | £741 |
| ELECTRICAL | £779 | £846 | £788 | £804 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £783 | £755 | £780 | £809 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £910 | £977 | £959 | £952 |
| INSULATION | £544 | £758 | £590 | £885 |
| JOINERY | £1,178 | £1,218 | £1,092 | £1,283 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £669 | £813 | £995 | £900 |
| PLASTERING | £533 | £410 | £646 | £754 |
| PLUMBING | £890 | £808 | £965 | £1,308 |
| ROOFING | £883 | £846 | £892 | £783 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £618 | £648 | £637 | £711 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,103 | £914 | £830 | £755 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £764 | £732 | £787 | £866 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £635 | £528 | £558 | £608 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £816 | £894 | £876 | £889 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £709 | £708 | £792 | £742 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £749 | £743 | £819 | £805 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £609 | £754 | £742 | £708 |
| ELECTRICAL | £732 | £823 | £981 | £983 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £809 | £808 | £829 | £885 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £768 | £765 | £830 | £794 |
| INSULATION | £710 | £685 | £666 | £717 |
| JOINERY | £694 | £709 | £755 | £717 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £787 | £829 | £1,012 | £932 |
| PLASTERING | £890 | £787 | £777 | £712 |
| PLUMBING | £592 | £685 | £695 | £731 |
| ROOFING | £597 | £567 | £693 | £660 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £596 | £559 | £586 | £582 |
| SHOP FITTING | £915 | £1,021 | £1,175 | £984 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £759 | £677 | £821 | £794 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,062 | £1,026 | £1,099 | £1,187 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £688 | £761 | £841 | £949 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £699 | £737 | £817 | £813 |
| ELECTRICAL | £875 | £827 | £841 | £921 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £833 | £759 | £885 | £1,037 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £987 | £934 | £948 | £925 |
| INSULATION | £721 | £790 | £919 | £805 |
| JOINERY | £681 | £763 | £648 | £641 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,334 | £1,378 | £1,480 | £1,649 |
| PLASTERING | £723 | £751 | £764 | £835 |
| PLUMBING | £968 | £973 | £1,039 | £840 |
| ROOFING | £729 | £695 | £786 | £759 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £678 | £728 | £752 | £669 |
| SHOP FITTING | £823 | £662 | £763 | £690 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £817 | £811 | £801 | £734 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £537 | £645 | £898 | £790 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £805 | £806 | £899 | £836 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £969 | £884 | £881 | £741 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £866 | £858 | £919 | £906 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £599 | £642 | £692 | £643 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,126 | £1,217 | £1,322 | £1,430 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £811 | £828 | £873 | £750 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £809 | £813 | £872 | £848 |
| INSULATION | £1,034 | £775 | £849 | £894 |
| JOINERY | £1,026 | £1,114 | £1,052 | £1,098 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,960 | £1,306 | £795 | £865 |
| PLASTERING | £711 | £700 | £666 | £620 |
| PLUMBING | £1,043 | £748 | £935 | £925 |
| ROOFING | £531 | £539 | £588 | £544 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £653 | £646 | £696 | £670 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,262 | £1,611 | £1,749 | £1,865 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £799 | £926 | £973 | £912 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £677 | £708 | £728 | £735 |
Wales
| WALES | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £759 | £778 | £829 | £764 |
| ELECTRICAL | £966 | £406 | £1,201 | £1,812 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,308 | £1,300 | £1,431 | £1,538 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £825 | £800 | £872 | £755 |
| JOINERY | - | - | - | - |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £580 | £427 | £462 | £489 |
| PLASTERING | £1,400 | £1,260 | £1,260 | £1,225 |
| PLUMBING | £592 | £859 | £911 | £716 |
| ROOFING | £607 | - | £923 | £924 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £520 | £556 | £555 | £574 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £791 | £795 | £863 | £820 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £980 | £840 | £878 | £809 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £600 | - | - | - |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £738 | £680 | £764 | £724 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £829 | £784 | £889 | £874 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £714 | £713 | £792 | £725 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,295 | £1,344 | £1,528 | £1,462 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £928 | £931 | £893 | £947 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £857 | £851 | £894 | £893 |
| INSULATION | £1,047 | £952 | £915 | £898 |
| JOINERY | £884 | £1,168 | £1,208 | £1,305 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £920 | £1,102 | £1,028 | £1,079 |
| PLASTERING | £1,013 | £815 | £1,250 | £1,094 |
| PLUMBING | £979 | £1,039 | £1,104 | £1,085 |
| ROOFING | £755 | £796 | £862 | £769 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £730 | £745 | £801 | £721 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,133 | £1,424 | £1,356 | £1,370 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £736 | £754 | £755 | £733 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £780 | £641 | £830 | £702 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £623 | £626 | £609 | £595 |
London
| LONDON | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £741 | £746 | £789 | £787 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £798 | £806 | £808 | £814 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | - | £651 | - | £594 |
| ELECTRICAL | £807 | £1,037 | £919 | £968 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £671 | £681 | £601 | £817 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £924 | £1,012 | £958 | £951 |
| INSULATION | £711 | £872 | £784 | - |
| JOINERY | £643 | £767 | £802 | £802 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,040 | £1,185 | £998 | £776 |
| PLASTERING | - | - | - | - |
| PLUMBING | £1,161 | £1,158 | £1,109 | £1,175 |
| ROOFING | £722 | £858 | £884 | £851 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £820 | £908 | £896 | £853 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,244 | £1,101 | £1,114 | £1,122 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £924 | £973 | £1,078 | £1,012 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £700 | £1,047 | £816 | £738 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | - | £566 | £600 | - |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £846 | £943 | £984 | £907 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £753 | £785 | £837 | £834 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,070 | £1,188 | £1,153 | £1,269 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,191 | £1,220 | £1,307 | £1,368 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £803 | £777 | £834 | £856 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £831 | £842 | £870 | £847 |
| INSULATION | £902 | £902 | £950 | £597 |
| JOINERY | £1,065 | £1,206 | £1,097 | £1,086 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,193 | £1,051 | £1,128 | £1,245 |
| PLASTERING | £673 | £727 | £745 | £645 |
| PLUMBING | £781 | £940 | £999 | £981 |
| ROOFING | £708 | £751 | £785 | £763 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £666 | £674 | £849 | £836 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,972 | £1,096 | £1,288 | £1,190 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £742 | £747 | £791 | £692 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £723 | £762 | £772 | £698 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £594 | £609 | £957 | £944 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £540 | - | - | - |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £775 | £722 | £774 | £790 |
| ELECTRICAL | £655 | £719 | £779 | £788 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | - | - | - | - |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £854 | £848 | £910 | £870 |
| INSULATION | £1,201 | £1,442 | £1,455 | £1,222 |
| JOINERY | £898 | £1,018 | £983 | £1,012 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £678 | £726 | £712 | £683 |
| PLASTERING | £687 | £703 | £904 | £596 |
| PLUMBING | - | £1,729 | £1,702 | £465 |
| ROOFING | £772 | £784 | £720 | £765 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | - | - | - | £1,135 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £774 | £1,096 | £812 | £1,027 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £607 | £591 | £614 | £619 |