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Sub-contractor Pay Trends September 2020
Demand for construction labour continued to build in September
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.
The construction industry has continued to recover from the COVID-19 crisis with demand for labour increasing by 17 per cent during September, according to the sector’s biggest payer of subcontractors.
Hudson Contract made 137,700 payments to tradespeople during September, up from 117,591 in August. This compares to a pre-lockdown peak of 149,067 payments in February and a trough of 80,625 in April.
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “Demand for the most highly skilled tradespeople is as strong as it was before COVID-19.
“Our network of regional managers across England and Wales report that eight out of 10 subcontractors are now back on site, helping housebuilders to finish schemes while finance is still available in the housing market.
“With rising unemployment in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, we are expecting a bumpy period ahead for housebuilding.
“Government and major housebuilders will need to work together to maintain demand in the market by extending the stamp duty holiday and expanding shared ownership initiatives.
“While demand for highly skilled tradespeople has recovered, the industry must help newly qualified workers to gain the experience they need to find work and develop successful and rewarding careers.”
Overall, average weekly earnings for subcontractors edged down by 0.3 per cent to £874 during September. The best-performing regions month on month were the South East (+2.3 per cent), the East of England (+1.6 per cent) and the South West (1.3 per cent).
| Region | September 2020 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £746 | -2.5% | -3.5% |
| North West | £872 | 0.1% | 3.9% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £818 | 0.7% | -0.8% |
| East Midlands | £852 | 0.1% | -6.2% |
| West Midlands | £906 | 0.1% | -4.6% |
| Wales | £883 | 0.0% | 10.9% |
| East of England | £949 | 1.6% | 3.6% |
| London | £852 | -5.5% | -3.8% |
| South East | £944 | 2.3% | 5.2% |
| South West | £836 | 1.3% | 4.6% |
Hudson 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. 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 click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £786 | £871 | £940 | £877 |
| ELECTRICAL | £766 | £774 | £739 | £1,002 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £667 | £541 | £699 | £635 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £665 | £669 | £640 | £624 |
| INSULATION | £768 | £795 | £807 | £1,028 |
| JOINERY | £666 | £669 | £692 | £595 |
| PLASTERING | £621 | £595 | £620 | £629 |
| ROOFING | £943 | £1,114 | £1,030 | £772 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £422 | £472 | £447 | £400 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,019 | £834 | £947 | £634 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £737 | £564 | £533 | £495 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £714 | £776 | £753 | £718 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £793 | £815 | £819 | £764 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £671 | £692 | £741 | £730 |
| ELECTRICAL | £846 | £788 | £804 | £733 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £755 | £780 | £809 | £710 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £977 | £959 | £952 | £907 |
| INSULATION | £758 | £590 | £885 | £675 |
| JOINERY | £1,218 | £1,092 | £1,283 | £1,163 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £813 | £995 | £900 | £979 |
| PLASTERING | £410 | £646 | £754 | £1,078 |
| PLUMBING | £808 | £965 | £1,308 | £1,121 |
| ROOFING | £846 | £892 | £783 | £964 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £648 | £637 | £711 | £682 |
| SHOP FITTING | £914 | £830 | £755 | £1,110 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £732 | £787 | £866 | £777 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £528 | £558 | £608 | £771 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £894 | £876 | £889 | £841 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £708 | £792 | £742 | £725 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £743 | £819 | £805 | £751 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £754 | £742 | £708 | £719 |
| ELECTRICAL | £823 | £981 | £983 | £895 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £808 | £829 | £885 | £887 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £765 | £830 | £794 | £781 |
| INSULATION | £685 | £666 | £717 | £690 |
| JOINERY | £709 | £755 | £717 | £710 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £829 | £1,012 | £932 | £920 |
| PLASTERING | £787 | £777 | £712 | £699 |
| PLUMBING | £685 | £695 | £731 | £695 |
| ROOFING | £567 | £693 | £660 | £728 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £559 | £586 | £582 | £597 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,021 | £1,175 | £984 | £1,456 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £677 | £821 | £794 | £853 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,026 | £1,099 | £1,187 | £1,170 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £761 | £841 | £949 | £806 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £737 | £817 | £813 | £824 |
| ELECTRICAL | £827 | £841 | £921 | £792 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £759 | £885 | £1,037 | £875 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £934 | £948 | £925 | £907 |
| INSULATION | £790 | £919 | £805 | £829 |
| JOINERY | £763 | £648 | £641 | £677 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,378 | £1,480 | £1,649 | £1,563 |
| PLASTERING | £751 | £764 | £835 | £699 |
| PLUMBING | £973 | £1,039 | £840 | £1,004 |
| ROOFING | £695 | £786 | £759 | £655 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £728 | £752 | £669 | £719 |
| SHOP FITTING | £662 | £763 | £690 | £1,005 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £811 | £801 | £734 | £755 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £645 | £898 | £790 | £1,050 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £806 | £899 | £836 | £829 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £884 | £881 | £741 | £795 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £858 | £919 | £906 | £934 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £642 | £692 | £643 | £642 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,217 | £1,322 | £1,430 | £1,298 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £828 | £873 | £750 | £819 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £813 | £872 | £848 | £803 |
| INSULATION | £775 | £849 | £894 | £775 |
| JOINERY | £1,114 | £1,052 | £1,098 | £1,194 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,306 | £795 | £865 | £1,536 |
| PLASTERING | £700 | £666 | £620 | £716 |
| PLUMBING | £748 | £935 | £925 | £1,041 |
| ROOFING | £539 | £588 | £544 | £475 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £646 | £696 | £670 | £606 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,611 | £1,749 | £1,865 | £1,503 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £926 | £973 | £912 | £903 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £708 | £728 | £735 | £760 |
Wales
| WALES | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £778 | £829 | £764 | £758 |
| ELECTRICAL | £406 | £1,201 | £1,812 | £824 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,300 | £1,431 | £1,538 | £1,455 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £800 | £872 | £755 | £687 |
| JOINERY | - | - | - | - |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £427 | £462 | £489 | £766 |
| PLASTERING | £1,260 | £1,260 | £1,225 | £1,015 |
| PLUMBING | £859 | £911 | £716 | £794 |
| ROOFING | - | £923 | £924 | £821 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £556 | £555 | £574 | £835 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £795 | £863 | £820 | £762 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £840 | £878 | £809 | £715 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | - | - | - | - |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £680 | £764 | £724 | £732 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £784 | £889 | £874 | £893 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £713 | £792 | £725 | £759 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,344 | £1,528 | £1,462 | £1,373 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £931 | £893 | £947 | £953 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £851 | £894 | £893 | £922 |
| INSULATION | £952 | £915 | £898 | £865 |
| JOINERY | £1,168 | £1,208 | £1,305 | £1,320 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,102 | £1,028 | £1,079 | £1,123 |
| PLASTERING | £815 | £1,250 | £1,094 | £1,076 |
| PLUMBING | £1,039 | £1,104 | £1,085 | £1,108 |
| ROOFING | £796 | £862 | £769 | £760 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £745 | £801 | £721 | £783 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,424 | £1,356 | £1,370 | £1,485 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £754 | £755 | £733 | £759 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £641 | £830 | £702 | £655 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £626 | £609 | £595 | £638 |
London
| LONDON | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £746 | £789 | £787 | £797 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £806 | £808 | £814 | £829 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £651 | - | £594 | £607 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,037 | £919 | £968 | £965 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £681 | £601 | £817 | £722 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,012 | £958 | £951 | £958 |
| INSULATION | £872 | £784 | - | - |
| JOINERY | £767 | £802 | £802 | £827 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,185 | £998 | £776 | £716 |
| PLASTERING | - | - | - | - |
| PLUMBING | £1,158 | £1,109 | £1,175 | £1,038 |
| ROOFING | £858 | £884 | £851 | £748 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £908 | £896 | £853 | £880 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,101 | £1,114 | £1,122 | £949 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £973 | £1,078 | £1,012 | £1,007 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,047 | £816 | £738 | £534 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £566 | £600 | - | £550 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £943 | £984 | £907 | £933 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £785 | £837 | £834 | £774 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,188 | £1,153 | £1,269 | £1,204 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,220 | £1,307 | £1,368 | £1,222 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £777 | £834 | £856 | £838 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £842 | £870 | £847 | £828 |
| INSULATION | £902 | £950 | £597 | £734 |
| JOINERY | £1,206 | £1,097 | £1,086 | £1,287 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,051 | £1,128 | £1,245 | £1,175 |
| PLASTERING | £727 | £745 | £645 | £782 |
| PLUMBING | £940 | £999 | £981 | £1,010 |
| ROOFING | £751 | £785 | £763 | £771 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £674 | £849 | £836 | £821 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,096 | £1,288 | £1,190 | £1,372 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £747 | £791 | £692 | £804 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £762 | £772 | £698 | £687 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £609 | £957 | £944 | £909 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | - | - | - | - |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £722 | £774 | £790 | £789 |
| ELECTRICAL | £719 | £779 | £788 | £929 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | - | - | - | - |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £848 | £910 | £870 | £864 |
| INSULATION | £1,442 | £1,455 | £1,222 | £1,185 |
| JOINERY | £1,018 | £983 | £1,012 | £997 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £726 | £712 | £683 | £711 |
| PLASTERING | £703 | £904 | £596 | £681 |
| PLUMBING | £1,729 | £1,702 | £465 | £1,333 |
| ROOFING | £784 | £720 | £765 | £738 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | - | - | £1,135 | £811 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,096 | £812 | £1,027 | £777 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £591 | £614 | £619 | £578 |