Sub-contractor Pay Trends May 2020
Demand for labour recovers as more sites reopen
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.
As the largest payer of subcontractors in the construction industry, we can report the number of tradespeople we paid increased by more than 40 per cent in May with the reopening of more building sites.
Labour demand had fallen by up to 70 per cent during the April lockdown, according to analysis of our payroll data.
Projects are still going ahead
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson, said: “The good news is demand has recovered and will continue to do so as more sites reopen. Infrastructure, utilities and some large commercial projects are still going ahead.
“The big concern is over the housing sector, where we are seeing large housing schemes being split into smaller phases - such as 500-home sites becoming 100-home sites - and complex or risky projects being land-banked.
“There is reduced productivity across some sites as a result of quotas on the number of operatives allowed on site at any one time, which is driving down rates available to sub-contractors and making it difficult to price future work.
Stimulate the housing market
"The recovery in demand for construction labour could be a dead cat bounce without intervention from the Government to stimulate the housing market.”
Analysis of Hudson payroll data shows average weekly earnings of £827 for freelancers in May, compared to £734 in April.
The best-performing regions for earnings growth were the South West and Wales (up 6.5 per cent) and the North East (up 4 per cent).
| Region | May 2020 Average | Month on Month % Change | Year on Year % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £728 | 26.0% | 4.0% |
| North West | £795 | 12.9% | -0.4% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £753 | 16.9% | -2.6% |
| East Midlands | £814 | 0.7% | -3.9% |
| West Midlands | £907 | 21.9% | 3.3% |
| Wales | £816 | 15.7% | 6.5% |
| East of England | £876 | 7.9% | -0.3% |
| London | £861 | 6.4% | 0.9% |
| South East | £876 | 13.3% | 3.6% |
| South West | £784 | 19.5% | 6.5% |
Our industry is very agile
Mr Anfield added: “Despite the negative media coverage that construction often gets, our industry is very agile and did not grind to a halt during the lockdown.
“Our clients are dynamic SMEs run by smart people who are figuring out new ways to work in these new conditions.
“The UK still needs new roads, new infrastructure and new housing and the construction industry will step up and deliver in any circumstances.”
Hudson Contract’s ‘Window on the 幸运快三 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 during 2020.
To access Hudson Contract’s 幸运快三 Pay Trends index, please
North East
| NORTH EAST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £798 | £1,416 | £827 | £798 | £708 | £636 | 拢682 |
| ELECTRICAL | £854 | - | £1,427 | £909 | £774 | £583 | 拢788 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £739 | £986 | £1,121 | £656 | £618 | 拢628 | |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £834 | £1,081 | £723 | £737 | £707 | £583 | 拢633 |
| INSULATION | £732 | £1,123 | £768 | £817 | £780 | £503 | 拢801 |
| JOINERY | £732 | £750 | £717 | £619 | £281 | 拢557 | |
| PLASTERING | £747 | £600 | £702 | £739 | £696 | £680 | 拢627 |
| ROOFING | £964 | £677 | £748 | £773 | £855 | £463 | 拢1,085 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £405 | £569 | £217 | £392 | £398 | 拢430 | |
| SHOP FITTING | £689 | - | £680 | £723 | £683 | £662 | 拢893 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £754 | £588 | £604 | £669 | £560 | 拢602 |
North West
| NORTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £762 | £908 | £741 | £809 | £720 | £684 | 拢731 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £786 | £1,038 | £803 | £794 | £775 | £582 | 拢780 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £765 | £808 | £799 | £795 | £777 | £563 | 拢748 |
| ELECTRICAL | £935 | £1,082 | £868 | £891 | £931 | £695 | 拢779 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £689 | £667 | £931 | £731 | £739 | £701 | 拢783 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,032 | £917 | £992 | £1,076 | £1,022 | £920 | 拢910 |
| INSULATION | £700 | £1,156 | £614 | £802 | £684 | £423 | 拢544 |
| JOINERY | £1,191 | £571 | £1,121 | £1,184 | £1,154 | £799 | 拢1,178 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,175 | £979 | £1,270 | £1,067 | £1,037 | £878 | 拢669 |
| PLASTERING | £681 | £770 | £653 | £596 | £724 | £713 | 拢533 |
| PLUMBING | £986 | £857 | £729 | £893 | £861 | £1,329 | 拢890 |
| ROOFING | £967 | £874 | £882 | £860 | £918 | £719 | 拢883 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £708 | £1,140 | £700 | £673 | £590 | £531 | 拢618 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,177 | £987 | £1,065 | £1,190 | £1,053 | £451 | 拢1,103 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £795 | £1,018 | £768 | £813 | £772 | £711 | 拢764 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £645 | £558 | £614 | £613 | £678 | £273 | 拢635 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,012 | £802 | £788 | £969 | £943 | £705 | 拢816 |
Yorkshire & Humber
| YORKSHIRE & HUMBER | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £740 | £948 | £690 | £715 | £820 | £621 | 拢709 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,114 | £834 | £833 | £990 | £674 | 拢749 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £810 | £865 | £886 | £815 | £589 | £646 | 拢609 |
| ELECTRICAL | £988 | £868 | £899 | £920 | £1,385 | £799 | 拢732 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £890 | £883 | £808 | £846 | £779 | £707 | 拢809 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £832 | £888 | £822 | £830 | £920 | £707 | 拢768 |
| INSULATION | £762 | £976 | £653 | £790 | £869 | £559 | 拢710 |
| JOINERY | £738 | £802 | £754 | £779 | £1,161 | £497 | 拢694 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,100 | £690 | £939 | £972 | £1,343 | £572 | 拢787 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,241 | £815 | £831 | £669 | £696 | 拢890 |
| PLUMBING | £782 | £839 | £876 | £831 | £992 | £566 | 拢592 |
| ROOFING | £673 | £906 | £699 | £679 | £577 | £527 | 拢597 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £550 | £921 | £524 | £512 | £700 | £543 | 拢596 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,378 | £718 | £1,236 | £1,433 | £1,623 | £439 | 拢915 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £854 | £880 | £1,038 | £777 | £898 | £736 | 拢759 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £956 | £432 | £964 | £1,195 | - | £845 | 拢1,062 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £869 | £865 | £692 | £797 | £844 | £675 | 拢688 |
East Midlands
| EAST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £849 | £1,238 | £895 | £905 | £859 | £615 | £699 |
| ELECTRICAL | £977 | £640 | £880 | £970 | £749 | £831 | 拢875 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,120 | £1,067 | £1,010 | £1,114 | £1,042 | £928 | 拢833 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,037 | £1,064 | £1,038 | £1,023 | £1,001 | £842 | 拢987 |
| INSULATION | £927 | £1,300 | £848 | £901 | £840 | £980 | 拢721 |
| JOINERY | £801 | - | £810 | £775 | £836 | £635 | 拢681 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,824 | £1,061 | £1,855 | £1,826 | £1,558 | £1,532 | 拢1,334 |
| PLASTERING | £827 | £829 | £939 | £848 | £760 | £639 | 拢723 |
| PLUMBING | £882 | £978 | £1,240 | £1,339 | £1,072 | £956 | 拢968 |
| ROOFING | £934 | £1,125 | £937 | £932 | £844 | £642 | 拢729 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £860 | £1,052 | £778 | £848 | £785 | £518 | 拢678 |
| SHOP FITTING | £692 | - | £1,763 | £1,011 | £1,171 | £982 | 拢823 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £828 | £1,048 | £980 | £853 | £902 | £795 | 拢817 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £968 | - | £617 | £890 | £673 | £678 | 拢537 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £948 | £1,261 | £975 | £982 | £894 | £714 | 拢805 |
West Midlands
| WEST MIDLANDS | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £975 | £1,210 | £879 | £866 | £716 | £728 | 拢969 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £987 | £1,096 | £925 | £1,003 | £821 | £652 | 拢866 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £657 | £1,009 | £676 | £681 | £779 | £758 | 拢599 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,245 | £927 | £1,423 | £1,279 | £1,120 | £1,143 | 拢1,126 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £948 | £1,238 | £920 | £952 | £761 | £764 | 拢811 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £915 | £1,115 | £1,125 | £957 | £789 | £620 | 拢809 |
| INSULATION | £845 | £1,859 | £762 | £861 | £733 | £888 | 拢1,034 |
| JOINERY | £1,124 | £689 | £1,256 | £1,070 | £644 | £706 | 拢1,026 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,574 | £649 | £1,540 | £1,863 | £992 | £1,074 | 拢1,960 |
| PLASTERING | £635 | £699 | £745 | £629 | £747 | £636 | 拢711 |
| PLUMBING | £1,183 | £699 | £1,484 | £1,151 | £789 | £945 | 拢1,043 |
| ROOFING | £578 | £1,076 | £596 | £578 | £677 | £439 | 拢531 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £634 | £1,233 | £720 | £673 | £544 | £608 | 拢653 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,239 | £630 | £1,597 | £1,223 | £1,132 | £493 | 拢1,262 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,022 | £1,062 | £733 | £1,012 | £787 | £744 | 拢799 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £853 | £1,009 | £697 | £790 | £961 | £685 | 拢677 |
Wales
| WALES | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £767 | £957 | £769 | £781 | £766 | £682 | 拢759 |
| ELECTRICAL | £918 | £882 | £894 | £991 | £990 | 拢966 | |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £1,263 | £766 | £1,760 | £1,193 | £1,578 | £1,300 | 拢1,308 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £907 | £905 | £875 | £915 | £892 | £712 | 拢825 |
| JOINERY | £953 | - | £569 | £429 | £530 | £638 | |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | - | - | £662 | £689 | £762 | £411 | 拢580 |
| PLASTERING | £1,505 | £585 | £1,260 | £1,365 | £1,225 | 拢1,400 | |
| PLUMBING | £914 | £1,445 | £870 | £986 | £971 | £720 | 拢592 |
| ROOFING | £551 | £836 | £467 | £550 | £509 | £366 | 拢607 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £730 | £814 | £688 | £691 | £621 | £477 | 拢520 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £812 | £959 | £810 | £867 | £910 | £583 | 拢791 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £1,002 | £705 | £749 | £659 | £909 | £436 | 拢980 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £1,185 | £982 | £1,320 | £733 | £1,392 | £795 | 拢600 |
East of England
| EAST OF ENGLAND | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £804 | £1,435 | £783 | £791 | £737 | £666 | 拢738 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £959 | £1,307 | £979 | £978 | £912 | £575 | 拢829 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £781 | £942 | £831 | £836 | £790 | £715 | 拢714 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,451 | £709 | £1,476 | £1,465 | £1,492 | £1,174 | 拢1,295 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £908 | £953 | £1,032 | £985 | £966 | £744 | 拢928 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £962 | £848 | £943 | £973 | £911 | £765 | 拢857 |
| INSULATION | £1,012 | £905 | £936 | £997 | £937 | £684 | 拢1,047 |
| JOINERY | £1,200 | £955 | £1,363 | £1,264 | £1,247 | £1,527 | 拢884 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,181 | £829 | £1,155 | £1,067 | £1,063 | £787 | 拢920 |
| PLASTERING | £872 | £943 | £887 | £879 | £969 | £853 | 拢1,013 |
| PLUMBING | £1,324 | £1,120 | £1,420 | £1,306 | £1,298 | £1,079 | 拢979 |
| ROOFING | £806 | £970 | £777 | £814 | £851 | £740 | 拢755 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £918 | £977 | £903 | £914 | £793 | £711 | 拢730 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,192 | £708 | £1,095 | £1,698 | £1,492 | £1,486 | 拢1,133 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £819 | £1,055 | £832 | £843 | £775 | £584 | 拢736 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £686 | - | £639 | £728 | £697 | £392 | 拢780 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £735 | £907 | £706 | £741 | £670 | £459 | 拢623 |
London
| LONDON | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £750 | £1,042 | £714 | £750 | £704 | £643 | 拢741 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £840 | £1,121 | £821 | £838 | £830 | £635 | 拢798 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £808 | £885 | - | - | - | ||
| ELECTRICAL | £1,023 | £929 | £1,297 | £1,075 | £966 | £730 | 拢807 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £765 | £978 | £867 | £812 | £894 | £531 | 拢671 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £1,068 | £868 | £1,229 | £1,104 | £1,105 | £935 | 拢924 |
| INSULATION | £896 | £517 | £1,710 | £765 | £806 | £1,370 | 拢711 |
| JOINERY | £1,158 | £1,763 | £1,173 | £1,170 | £963 | £789 | 拢643 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £991 | £1,024 | £1,290 | £942 | £918 | £925 | 拢1,040 |
| PLASTERING | £695 | £878 | £643 | £779 | £743 | ||
| PLUMBING | £1,117 | £914 | £1,489 | £1,204 | £1,158 | £914 | 拢1,161 |
| ROOFING | £916 | £1,001 | £838 | £937 | £879 | £766 | 拢722 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £1,033 | £1,107 | £1,012 | £961 | £836 | £727 | 拢820 |
| SHOP FITTING | £838 | £1,549 | £1,984 | £809 | £766 | £947 | 拢1,244 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £1,122 | £1,124 | £1,079 | £1,100 | £973 | £934 | 拢924 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £582 | - | £823 | £669 | £662 | £776 | 拢700 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £575 | £817 | £467 | £525 | £500 |
South East
| SOUTH EAST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £820 | £1,234 | £778 | £798 | £726 | £650 | 拢846 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £828 | £1,192 | £841 | £836 | £816 | £589 | 拢753 |
| DEMOLITION & WRECKING | £1,241 | £905 | £1,031 | £1,221 | £1,207 | £1,012 | 拢1,070 |
| ELECTRICAL | £1,318 | £1,138 | £1,481 | £1,337 | £1,447 | £950 | 拢1,191 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £870 | £869 | £891 | £933 | £908 | £722 | 拢803 |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £889 | £1,014 | £925 | £899 | £835 | £767 | 拢831 |
| INSULATION | - | £369 | £950 | £950 | £997 | £712 | 拢902 |
| JOINERY | £1,042 | £693 | £1,120 | £1,028 | £950 | £929 | 拢1,065 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £1,061 | £842 | £1,497 | £1,099 | £1,058 | £654 | 拢1,193 |
| PLASTERING | £683 | £970 | £777 | £775 | £739 | £325 | 拢673 |
| PLUMBING | £1,111 | £861 | £1,286 | £1,118 | £918 | £1,004 | 拢781 |
| ROOFING | £799 | £1,011 | £786 | £775 | £719 | £614 | 拢708 |
| SCAFFOLDING & LIFTING | £834 | £949 | £810 | £844 | £796 | £625 | 拢666 |
| SHOP FITTING | £1,357 | £676 | £1,171 | £1,264 | £1,321 | £827 | 拢1,972 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £872 | £1,067 | £867 | £881 | £820 | £1,068 | 拢742 |
| STEEL & TIMBER FRAME ERECTION | £766 | £1,210 | £782 | £807 | £786 | £664 | 拢723 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £946 | £997 | £804 | £960 | £879 | £768 | 拢594 |
South West
| SOUTH WEST | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICKLAYING | £1,474 | £949 | £1,289 | £1,735 | £1,615 | £726 | 拢540 |
| CIVIL ENGINEERING | £808 | £832 | £757 | £800 | £768 | £608 | 拢775 |
| ELECTRICAL | £750 | £720 | £822 | £779 | £744 | £585 | 拢655 |
| EQUIPMENT & OPERATOR HIRE | £676 | £820 | £891 | £938 | £937 | £862 | |
| GENERAL CONSTRUCTION | £862 | £871 | £978 | £876 | £829 | £744 | 拢854 |
| INSULATION | £1,243 | £848 | £1,260 | £1,300 | £1,262 | £1,125 | 拢1,201 |
| JOINERY | £1,076 | £1,386 | £1,321 | £1,155 | £1,036 | £723 | 拢898 |
| MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING | £687 | £934 | £657 | £723 | £713 | £437 | 拢678 |
| PLASTERING | £809 | £1,138 | £677 | £682 | £591 | £531 | 拢687 |
| PLUMBING | £1,764 | £932 | £1,335 | £1,750 | £1,650 | £699 | |
| ROOFING | £856 | £798 | £760 | £847 | £787 | £527 | 拢772 |
| SPECIALIST TRADES | £740 | £996 | £1,253 | £424 | £999 | £656 | 拢774 |
| SURFACING CONTRACTORS | £654 | £913 | £683 | £676 | £664 | £574 | 拢607 |