Freelance Builder Pay Trends: April 2023

Subbies benefit from rise in earnings

Average earnings for self-employed tradespeople dipped last month as they enjoyed time out during the Easter bank holidays. But they were still much better than they were in April 2022, according to our latest Pay Trends analysis.

Construction’s biggest payroll shows subcontractors earned an average of £941 per week in April, a month-on-month decline of 4.4 per cent but a 5.4 per cent jump compared to the same period last year.

Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “Our figures show rates for the self-employed are holding ground. In public sector and unionised employment, employees are fighting and striking for pay rises and eventually being offered five per cent settlements. Freelancers in construction have already had the benefit of year-on-year increases and 5.4 per cent in the last year alone. If further evidence was needed, this is why self-employment suits the workforce and is chosen by so many. They follow the work and use their individual bargaining power to attract higher earnings.”

To view our interactive pay trends map click here

Hudson Contract is the UK’s largest provider of tax status and employment contract services to the construction industry with annual revenues of £2 billion and a client base of 2,600 construction SMEs. Our family-owned group 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. We supply statistics to the Bank of England to keep policymakers updated with real-time insights on demand for skilled labour.