Hudson Contract delivers the most accurate indications of pay trends across the construction industry, using payroll data for over 1,300 construction companies and 70,000 plus subbies to publish the average pay for the full spectrum of 17 different trades across five regions.

For the past couple of months we have been reporting an increase in the pay trends across the industry as a whole, but with a cautionary note. It’s looking as if our prudence is well-founded – during the past four weeks, average earnings have dropped in four of our five regions.

“It’s not a question of massive decreases,” comments Hudson Contract Managing Director David Jackson. “And I’m also noticing the lack of consistency across trades, with each region having some big winners and big losers. It really is a mixed bag this month.

A flexible workforce allows construction companies to survive – and thrive

“All our clients are cautious at the moment,” David Jackson continues. “They are still feeling the very real effects of the recession and having to squeeze costs at every opportunity.”

Says David Jackson: “As we head for August and the holidays, it’s clear the industry is still very much working hand to mouth. It means the ability to engage a flexible workforce that is capable of responding to the ebbs and flows continues to be a powerful financial tool. I’d love to be looking at these latest numbers and predict the workload will increase as we head into autumn, but the talk now is of a double-dip recession. We can only hope that doesn’t happen.”

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 over the twelve weeks to 31st May 2010. www.hudsoncontract.co.uk