Sub-contractor Pay Trends April 2020
Reopening of sites lifts demand for trades after heavy fall in April
Hudson Contract delivers the most accurate indications of pay trends across the construction industry, using monthly payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies to publish the average pay for a spectrum of 17 different trades now split across ten regions.
As the largest payer of subcontractors in the construction industry, we can report demand for labour on Britain’s building sites fell by up to 70 per cent last month as a result of the lockdown.
But the number of freelance tradespeople being paid is on the rise again as more sites reopen.
Ian Anfield, managing director, said: “Many clients returned to work on Monday, May 11. And a number are saying they have never been asked to price so many new projects.”
Latest figures show earnings for subcontractors fell by an average of 18.2 per cent in April.
Analysis of payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies shows a weekly average of £734 for freelancers in April, down from £897 in March, and the lowest level since January 2015.
The worst hit areas were Yorkshire and the Humber (-32.1 per cent), the South West (-26.9 per cent) and Wales (-25.2 per cent).
| Region | April 2020 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £578 | -18.9% | -24.3% |
| North West | £704 | -17.9% | -15.9% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £644 | -32.1% | -21.4% |
| East Midlands | £808 | -12.6% | -10.4% |
| West Midlands | £744 | -10.0% | -20.3% |
| Wales | £705 | -25.2% | -10.6% |
| East of England | £812 | -15.9% | -12.5% |
| London | £809 | -9.1% | -10.0% |
| South East | £773 | -17.1% | -12.8% |
| South West | £656 | -26.9% | -16.6% |
With social distancing measures in place, it is likely that rates will remain lower as SMEs ask tradespeople to share the cost of reduced output on sites.
Mr Anfield added: “The safe return to work will be a welcome boost for households which have been struggling to make ends meet during this difficult period.
“We are focused on supporting our SME clients as they build the housing and infrastructure that Britain will need to recover from this period of crisis.”
Hudson Contract delivers the most accurate indication of subcontractor pay trends across the construction industry, publishing the average pay for a spectrum of 17 different trades split across 10 regions in England and Wales.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £798 | £1,416 | £827 | £798 | £708 | £636 |
| ELECTRICAL | £854 | - | £1,427 | £909 | £774 | £583 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £739 | £986 | £1,121 | £656 | £618 | |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £834 | £1,081 | £723 | £737 | £707 | £583 |
| INSULATION | £732 | £1,123 | £768 | £817 | £780 | £503 |
| JOINERY | £732 | £750 | £717 | £619 | £281 | |
| PLASTERING | £747 | £600 | £702 | £739 | £696 | £680 |
| ROOFING | £964 | £677 | £748 | £773 | £855 | £463 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £405 | £569 | £217 | £392 | £398 | |
| SHOP FITTING | £689 | - | £680 | £723 | £683 | £662 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £754 | £588 | £604 | £669 | £560 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £762 | £908 | £741 | £809 | £720 | £684 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £786 | £1,038 | £803 | £794 | £775 | £582 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £765 | £808 | £799 | £795 | £777 | £563 |
| ELECTRICAL | £935 | £1,082 | £868 | £891 | £931 | £695 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £689 | £667 | £931 | £731 | £739 | £701 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,032 | £917 | £992 | £1,076 | £1,022 | £920 |
| INSULATION | £700 | £1,156 | £614 | £802 | £684 | £423 |
| JOINERY | £1,191 | £571 | £1,121 | £1,184 | £1,154 | £799 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,175 | £979 | £1,270 | £1,067 | £1,037 | £878 |
| PLASTERING | £681 | £770 | £653 | £596 | £724 | £713 |
| PLUMBING | £986 | £857 | £729 | £893 | £861 | £1,329 |
| ROOFING | £967 | £874 | £882 | £860 | £918 | £719 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £708 | £1,140 | £700 | £673 | £590 | £531 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,177 | £987 | £1,065 | £1,190 | £1,053 | £451 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £795 | £1,018 | £768 | £813 | £772 | £711 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £645 | £558 | £614 | £613 | £678 | £273 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,012 | £802 | £788 | £969 | £943 | £705 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £740 | £948 | £690 | £715 | £820 | £621 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,114 | £834 | £833 | £990 | £674 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £810 | £865 | £886 | £815 | £589 | £646 |
| ELECTRICAL | £988 | £868 | £899 | £920 | £1,385 | £799 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £890 | £883 | £808 | £846 | £779 | £707 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £832 | £888 | £822 | £830 | £920 | £707 |
| INSULATION | £762 | £976 | £653 | £790 | £869 | £559 |
| JOINERY | £738 | £802 | £754 | £779 | £1,161 | £497 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,100 | £690 | £939 | £972 | £1,343 | £572 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,241 | £815 | £831 | £669 | £696 |
| PLUMBING | £782 | £839 | £876 | £831 | £992 | £566 |
| ROOFING | £673 | £906 | £699 | £679 | £577 | £527 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £550 | £921 | £524 | £512 | £700 | £543 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,378 | £718 | £1,236 | £1,433 | £1,623 | £439 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £854 | £880 | £1,038 | £777 | £898 | £736 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £956 | £432 | £964 | £1,195 | - | £845 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £869 | £865 | £692 | £797 | £844 | £675 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £849 | £1,238 | £895 | £905 | £859 | £615 |
| ELECTRICAL | £977 | £640 | £880 | £970 | £749 | £831 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,120 | £1,067 | £1,010 | £1,114 | £1,042 | £928 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,037 | £1,064 | £1,038 | £1,023 | £1,001 | £842 |
| INSULATION | £927 | £1,300 | £848 | £901 | £840 | £980 |
| JOINERY | £801 | - | £810 | £775 | £836 | £635 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,824 | £1,061 | £1,855 | £1,826 | £1,558 | £1,532 |
| PLASTERING | £827 | £829 | £939 | £848 | £760 | £639 |
| PLUMBING | £882 | £978 | £1,240 | £1,339 | £1,072 | £956 |
| ROOFING | £934 | £1,125 | £937 | £932 | £844 | £642 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £860 | £1,052 | £778 | £848 | £785 | £518 |
| SHOP FITTING | £692 | - | £1,763 | £1,011 | £1,171 | £982 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £828 | £1,048 | £980 | £853 | £902 | £795 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £968 | - | £617 | £890 | £673 | £678 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £948 | £1,261 | £975 | £982 | £894 | £714 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £975 | £1,210 | £879 | £866 | £716 | £728 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £987 | £1,096 | £925 | £1,003 | £821 | £652 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £657 | £1,009 | £676 | £681 | £779 | £758 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,245 | £927 | £1,423 | £1,279 | £1,120 | £1,143 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £948 | £1,238 | £920 | £952 | £761 | £764 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £915 | £1,115 | £1,125 | £957 | £789 | £620 |
| INSULATION | £845 | £1,859 | £762 | £861 | £733 | £888 |
| JOINERY | £1,124 | £689 | £1,256 | £1,070 | £644 | £706 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,574 | £649 | £1,540 | £1,863 | £992 | £1,074 |
| PLASTERING | £635 | £699 | £745 | £629 | £747 | £636 |
| PLUMBING | £1,183 | £699 | £1,484 | £1,151 | £789 | £945 |
| ROOFING | £578 | £1,076 | £596 | £578 | £677 | £439 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £634 | £1,233 | £720 | £673 | £544 | £608 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,239 | £630 | £1,597 | £1,223 | £1,132 | £493 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,022 | £1,062 | £733 | £1,012 | £787 | £744 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £853 | £1,009 | £697 | £790 | £961 | £685 |
Wales
| WALES | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £767 | £957 | £769 | £781 | £766 | £682 |
| ELECTRICAL | £918 | £882 | £894 | £991 | £990 | |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,263 | £766 | £1,760 | £1,193 | £1,578 | £1,300 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £907 | £905 | £875 | £915 | £892 | £712 |
| JOINERY | £953 | - | £569 | £429 | £530 | £638 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | - | - | £662 | £689 | £762 | £411 |
| PLASTERING | £1,505 | £585 | £1,260 | £1,365 | £1,225 | |
| PLUMBING | £914 | £1,445 | £870 | £986 | £971 | £720 |
| ROOFING | £551 | £836 | £467 | £550 | £509 | £366 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £730 | £814 | £688 | £691 | £621 | £477 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £812 | £959 | £810 | £867 | £910 | £583 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,002 | £705 | £749 | £659 | £909 | £436 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,185 | £982 | £1,320 | £733 | £1,392 | £795 |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £804 | £1,435 | £783 | £791 | £737 | £666 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £959 | £1,307 | £979 | £978 | £912 | £575 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £781 | £942 | £831 | £836 | £790 | £715 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,451 | £709 | £1,476 | £1,465 | £1,492 | £1,174 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £908 | £953 | £1,032 | £985 | £966 | £744 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £962 | £848 | £943 | £973 | £911 | £765 |
| INSULATION | £1,012 | £905 | £936 | £997 | £937 | £684 |
| JOINERY | £1,200 | £955 | £1,363 | £1,264 | £1,247 | £1,527 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,181 | £829 | £1,155 | £1,067 | £1,063 | £787 |
| PLASTERING | £872 | £943 | £887 | £879 | £969 | £853 |
| PLUMBING | £1,324 | £1,120 | £1,420 | £1,306 | £1,298 | £1,079 |
| ROOFING | £806 | £970 | £777 | £814 | £851 | £740 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £918 | £977 | £903 | £914 | £793 | £711 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,192 | £708 | £1,095 | £1,698 | £1,492 | £1,486 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £819 | £1,055 | £832 | £843 | £775 | £584 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £686 | - | £639 | £728 | £697 | £392 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £735 | £907 | £706 | £741 | £670 | £459 |
London
| LONDON | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £750 | £1,042 | £714 | £750 | £704 | £643 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £840 | £1,121 | £821 | £838 | £830 | £635 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £808 | £885 | - | - | - | |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,023 | £929 | £1,297 | £1,075 | £966 | £730 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £765 | £978 | £867 | £812 | £894 | £531 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,068 | £868 | £1,229 | £1,104 | £1,105 | £935 |
| INSULATION | £896 | £517 | £1,710 | £765 | £806 | £1,370 |
| JOINERY | £1,158 | £1,763 | £1,173 | £1,170 | £963 | £789 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £991 | £1,024 | £1,290 | £942 | £918 | £925 |
| PLASTERING | £695 | £878 | £643 | £779 | £743 | |
| PLUMBING | £1,117 | £914 | £1,489 | £1,204 | £1,158 | £914 |
| ROOFING | £916 | £1,001 | £838 | £937 | £879 | £766 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £1,033 | £1,107 | £1,012 | £961 | £836 | £727 |
| SHOP FITTING | £838 | £1,549 | £1,984 | £809 | £766 | £947 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,122 | £1,124 | £1,079 | £1,100 | £973 | £934 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £582 | - | £823 | £669 | £662 | £776 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £575 | £817 | £467 | £525 | £500 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £820 | £1,234 | £778 | £798 | £726 | £650 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,192 | £841 | £836 | £816 | £589 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,241 | £905 | £1,031 | £1,221 | £1,207 | £1,012 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,318 | £1,138 | £1,481 | £1,337 | £1,447 | £950 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £870 | £869 | £891 | £933 | £908 | £722 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £889 | £1,014 | £925 | £899 | £835 | £767 |
| INSULATION | - | £369 | £950 | £950 | £997 | £712 |
| JOINERY | £1,042 | £693 | £1,120 | £1,028 | £950 | £929 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,061 | £842 | £1,497 | £1,099 | £1,058 | £654 |
| PLASTERING | £683 | £970 | £777 | £775 | £739 | £325 |
| PLUMBING | £1,111 | £861 | £1,286 | £1,118 | £918 | £1,004 |
| ROOFING | £799 | £1,011 | £786 | £775 | £719 | £614 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £834 | £949 | £810 | £844 | £796 | £625 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,357 | £676 | £1,171 | £1,264 | £1,321 | £827 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £1,067 | £867 | £881 | £820 | £1,068 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £766 | £1,210 | £782 | £807 | £786 | £664 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £946 | £997 | £804 | £960 | £879 | £768 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,474 | £949 | £1,289 | £1,735 | £1,615 | £726 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £808 | £832 | £757 | £800 | £768 | £608 |
| ELECTRICAL | £750 | £720 | £822 | £779 | £744 | £585 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £676 | £820 | £891 | £938 | £937 | £862 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £862 | £871 | £978 | £876 | £829 | £744 |
| INSULATION | £1,243 | £848 | £1,260 | £1,300 | £1,262 | £1,125 |
| JOINERY | £1,076 | £1,386 | £1,321 | £1,155 | £1,036 | £723 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £687 | £934 | £657 | £723 | £713 | £437 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,138 | £677 | £682 | £591 | £531 |
| PLUMBING | £1,764 | £932 | £1,335 | £1,750 | £1,650 | £699 |
| ROOFING | £856 | £798 | £760 | £847 | £787 | £527 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £740 | £996 | £1,253 | £424 | £999 | £656 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £654 | £913 | £683 | £676 | £664 | £574 |