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Sub-contractor Pay Trends October 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 increased by 2.5 per cent last month, according to latest figures released by Hudson Contract.
Analysis of October payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies in England and Wales reveals a weekly average of £911 for subcontractors.
Our regional breakdown shows the South West was the best-performing territory with average earnings rising by 4.5 per cent to £835 a week during October.
The region has a number of major construction projects including the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset and the regeneration of the 19th century Brooks Dye Works in Bristol.
The West Midlands had the second strongest growth, rising 3.3 per cent to £981 a week, followed by the East of England, rising 3.2 per cent to £945.
Subcontractors in all 10 regions across England and Wales saw increases in average earnings last month.
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “Companies using Hudson are dynamic SMEs that are run by owner-managers who are in complete control of their businesses.
“Despite indicators showing the entire economy and particularly the construction industry is slowing down, our clients are busy with freelancers earning on average £911 per week.
“We’re not surprised by this as each year construction companies rush to get projects finished by Christmas; similarly contractors want to get their money in and earn as much as they can before Christmas and the bad weather sets in.
“We’re hoping the slowdown as reported in the latest construction purchasing managers index doesn’t catch up with freelancers in the new year. There is no doubt construction needs certainty: a new government could change spending plans or tighten up on planning regulations, which might lead to a slowdown in investment in this country. However our data is not the sentiment of 150 purchasing managers, ours is hard figures from 2,200 construction companies.”
| Region | October 2019 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £779 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
| North West | £862 | 2.7% | 6.0% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £850 | 3.0% | -0.4% |
| East Midlands | £931 | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| West Midlands | £981 | 3.3% | 1.9% |
| Wales | £799 | 0.4% | -2.9% |
| East of England | £945 | 3.2% | -1.3% |
| London | £888 | 0.2% | -0.7% |
| South East | £920 | 2.6% | -0.2% |
| South West | £835 | 4.5% | 3.9% |
To access Hudson Contract’s Construction Pay Trends index, please click here
North East
| NORTH EAST | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £812 | £811 | £788 | £794 |
| ELECTRICAL | £996 | £874 | £815 | £877 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £634 | £619 | £611 | £760 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £804 | £776 | £782 | £791 |
| INSULATION | £727 | £783 | £753 | £753 |
| PLASTERING | £667 | £788 | £755 | £743 |
| ROOFING | £915 | £874 | £1,036 | £1,020 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £415 | £422 | £490 | £485 |
| SHOP FITTING | £662 | £735 | £700 | £743 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £576 | £653 | £626 | £772 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £871 | £821 | £798 | £815 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £781 | £777 | £762 | £784 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £765 | £778 | £681 | £798 |
| ELECTRICAL | £852 | £841 | £860 | £929 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £757 | £737 | £694 | £735 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £863 | £847 | £783 | £1,020 |
| INSULATION | £1,282 | £1,405 | £999 | £519 |
| JOINERY | £1,075 | £1,048 | £1,084 | £1,149 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,154 | £1,138 | £939 | £1,037 |
| PLASTERING | £608 | £567 | £549 | £646 |
| PLUMBING | £799 | £945 | £873 | £851 |
| ROOFING | £916 | £955 | £947 | £859 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £641 | £649 | £644 | £639 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,260 | £1,159 | £1,110 | £1,138 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,290 | £1,247 | £1,257 | £871 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £561 | £530 | £693 | £689 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £944 | £941 | £940 | £951 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £767 | £777 | £704 | £740 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £826 | £833 | £824 | £855 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £687 | £707 | £694 | £745 |
| ELECTRICAL | £909 | £854 | £925 | £981 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £720 | £953 | £953 | £880 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £863 | £834 | £820 | £842 |
| INSULATION | £715 | £880 | £793 | £762 |
| JOINERY | £793 | £767 | £685 | £702 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,131 | £999 | £1,021 | £1,093 |
| PLASTERING | £840 | £759 | £813 | £813 |
| PLUMBING | £680 | £727 | £646 | £802 |
| ROOFING | £691 | £713 | £659 | £719 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £557 | £582 | £565 | £606 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,291 | £1,241 | £1,379 | £1,374 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,014 | £981 | £773 | £843 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,132 | £925 | £662 | £979 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,031 | £928 | £904 | £897 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £860 | £852 | £845 | £863 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,079 | £1,004 | £954 | £992 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,022 | £1,028 | £1,074 | £1,053 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,092 | £1,068 | £1,020 | £1,049 |
| INSULATION | £836 | £828 | £870 | £915 |
| JOINERY | £861 | £885 | £769 | £796 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,669 | £1,674 | £1,662 | £1,854 |
| PLASTERING | £740 | £733 | £717 | £765 |
| PLUMBING | £1,282 | £1,048 | £1,058 | £1,077 |
| ROOFING | £854 | £814 | £958 | £893 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £819 | £828 | £825 | £871 |
| SHOP FITTING | £827 | £756 | £1,000 | £1,039 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £849 | £852 | £802 | £844 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £881 | £889 | £816 | £1,028 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £907 | £919 | £903 | £909 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £941 | £894 | £955 | £928 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £992 | £975 | £961 | £992 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £662 | £619 | £579 | £682 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,207 | £1,208 | £1,181 | £1,196 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £894 | £905 | £866 | £914 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £960 | £915 | £898 | £940 |
| INSULATION | £918 | £799 | £791 | £772 |
| JOINERY | £1,158 | £1,025 | £1,057 | £1,054 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,653 | £1,784 | £1,407 | £1,597 |
| PLASTERING | £726 | £874 | £712 | £640 |
| PLUMBING | £1,073 | £988 | £988 | £1,110 |
| ROOFING | £618 | £560 | £646 | £627 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £720 | £732 | £614 | £685 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,257 | £1,306 | £1,306 | £1,365 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £949 | £971 | £969 | £957 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £825 | £843 | £829 | £855 |
Wales
| WALES | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £763 | £753 | £763 | £766 |
| ELECTRICAL | £843 | £833 | £774 | £972 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,369 | £1,218 | £1,292 | £1,278 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £963 | £896 | £859 | £850 |
| Joinery | £1,710 | £1,486 | £979 | £1,355 |
| PLASTERING | £1,118 | £970 | £1,043 | £1,610 |
| PLUMBING | £956 | £933 | £961 | £956 |
| ROOFING | £496 | £548 | £441 | £527 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £811 | £686 | £771 | £810 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £811 | £775 | £858 | £811 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £695 | £671 | £617 | £623 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,165 | £1,100 | £1,125 | £1,140 |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £798 | £786 | £792 | £794 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £952 | £919 | £903 | £942 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £863 | £866 | £771 | £759 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,303 | £1,278 | £1,292 | £1,363 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £903 | £883 | £868 | £915 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £956 | £958 | £927 | £965 |
| INSULATION | £993 | £971 | £931 | £1,053 |
| JOINERY | £1,277 | £1,168 | £1,121 | £1,202 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,183 | £1,133 | £1,092 | £1,140 |
| PLASTERING | £916 | £925 | £873 | £881 |
| PLUMBING | £1,328 | £1,317 | £1,274 | £1,269 |
| ROOFING | £798 | £850 | £923 | £797 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £863 | £877 | £866 | £892 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,246 | £1,257 | £1,220 | £1,266 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £839 | £834 | £838 | £843 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £646 | £783 | £647 | £616 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £755 | £738 | £704 | £742 |
London
| LONDON | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £815 | £774 | £767 | £743 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £857 | £828 | £821 | £821 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £721 | £865 | £827 | £964 |
| ELECTRICAL | £973 | £905 | £914 | £972 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £848 | £796 | £786 | £824 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £963 | £958 | £967 | £995 |
| INSULATION | £926 | £798 | £1,034 | £917 |
| JOINERY | £1,254 | £1,286 | £1,193 | £1,120 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,095 | £1,043 | £1,228 | £1,120 |
| PLASTERING | £510 | £633 | £653 | £633 |
| PLUMBING | £1,014 | £973 | £967 | £1,070 |
| ROOFING | £911 | £957 | £905 | £887 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £1,043 | £949 | £975 | £993 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,032 | £1,095 | £1,057 | £910 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,061 | £1,069 | £1,022 | £1,094 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £951 | £1,089 | £771 | £824 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £480 | £586 | £433 | £540 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £815 | £755 | £784 | £779 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £840 | £827 | £814 | £827 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,160 | £1,183 | £1,197 | £1,235 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,180 | £1,148 | £1,196 | £1,301 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £840 | £868 | £850 | £870 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £943 | £899 | £874 | £901 |
| INSULATION | £1,165 | £1,718 | £2,250 | - |
| JOINERY | £1,007 | £1,032 | £1,056 | £1,026 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,088 | £1,118 | £1,083 | £1,027 |
| PLASTERING | £698 | £681 | £690 | £729 |
| PLUMBING | £1,129 | £1,116 | £1,047 | £1,072 |
| ROOFING | £774 | £774 | £786 | £818 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £827 | £804 | £819 | £837 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,316 | £1,275 | £1,262 | £1,261 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £854 | £882 | £870 | £906 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £727 | £775 | £710 | £761 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £933 | £885 | £856 | £964 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Jul-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,711 | £714 | £1,183 | £1,712 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £735 | £771 | £756 | £774 |
| ELECTRICAL | £735 | £693 | £739 | £757 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £857 | £836 | £749 | £719 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £877 | £843 | £817 | £885 |
| INSULATION | £1,404 | £1,401 | £1,276 | £1,307 |
| JOINERY | £1,135 | £1,093 | £1,136 | £1,069 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £619 | £681 | £651 | £633 |
| PLASTERING | £779 | £674 | £815 | £799 |
| PLUMBING | £1,177 | £1,328 | £1,600 | £1,417 |
| ROOFING | £789 | £767 | £783 | £870 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £675 | £1,235 | £1,091 | £972 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £643 | £650 | £622 | £666 |