Freelance Builder Pay Trends: November 2014
11th November 2014 | Hudson Contract
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 the full spectrum of 17 different trades across five regions.
Freelance earnings continue to rise – for the fourth successive month – and with increases of over 3%, the Midlands and the North-East are currently leading the way.
Meanwhile, the latest survey from the Construction Products Association reveals the industry has now maintained six quarters of consecutive growth, a trend not seen since 2008, reporting that while margins are being squeezed on current projects, tender prices are rising, which bodes well for future work.
Can construction’s recovery be sustained as we head towards the winter? Hudson Contract Managing Director Ian Anfield observes: “The general feeling is that even though the growth rate has been a little softer lately, especially in the homebuilding sector, there’s plenty of work out there for subcontractors.
“One statistic that’s caught my eye this month is in the South-East, where no earnings in any trade have fluctuated by more than 4%. That’s unusual. As you’d expect, freelance builders in this part of the country earn more than their counterparts elsewhere, but the overall regional increase this month is the lowest in the country, and could mean a level has been found. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months. No matter whether it’s a blip or the start of a seasonal slowdown, it could well be an indicator for the rest of the country.”
Looking at the bigger picture, three trades are up across all regions this month:
- Scaffolders: +7.8%
- Electricians: +6.1%
- Insulation: +2.5%
While at the other end of the scale, earnings for Steel & Timber Frame Erectors have fallen in all five Hudson Contract regions by an average of 4.3%.
This month’s winners:
- Civil Engineers in the South-West: +16 %
- Roofers in the Midlands: +15%
- Shopfitters in the Midlands: +14%
And the losers – all in the South-West:
- Bricklayers -13 %
- Joiners -13%
- Steel & Timber Frame Erectors -10%
NORTH EAST
| Last Month | 3 months ago | % change | |
| Bricklaying | £561.71 | £625.50 | -10.20% |
| Civil Engineering | £651.32 | £658.04 | -1.02% |
| Demolition | £404.36 | £423.91 | -4.61% |
| Electrical | £800.62 | £725.81 | 10.31% |
| Equipment & Operator hire | £713.28 | £689.44 | 3.46% |
| Fit out by specialist trades | £744.69 | £696.26 | 6.96% |
| General Construction | £701.51 | £647.28 | 8.38% |
| Insulation | £614.52 | £598.62 | 2.66% |
| Joinery | £801.86 | £743.66 | 7.83% |
| Mechanical | £705.56 | £711.00 | -0.77% |
| Plastering | £678.35 | £695.00 | -2.40% |
| Plumbing | £598.67 | £577.40 | 3.68% |
| Roofing | £656.72 | £606.29 | 8.32% |
| Scaffolding | £566.12 | £537.26 | 5.37% |
| Shopfitting | £797.57 | £746.42 | 6.85% |
| Steel & Timber frame erect | £601.38 | £620.62 | -3.10% |
| Surfacing contractors | £705.61 | £641.78 | 9.95% |
| Average | £664.93 | £643.78 | 3.29% |
NORTH WEST
| Last Month | 3 months ago | % change | |
| Bricklaying | £557.66 | £603.44 | -7.59% |
| Civil Engineering | £593.24 | £576.67 | 2.87% |
| Demolition | £738.72 | £701.56 | 5.30% |
| Electrical | £765.38 | £731.94 | 4.57% |
| Equipment & Operator hire | £691.69 | £675.67 | 2.37% |
| Fit out by specialist trades | £621.33 | £631.06 | -1.54% |
| General Construction | £700.48 | £634.88 | 10.33% |
| Insulation | £737.21 | £723.78 | 1.86% |
| Joinery | £690.75 | £661.23 | 4.46% |
| Mechanical | £514.82 | £491.48 | 4.75% |
| Plastering | £514.04 | £467.43 | 9.97% |
| Plumbing | £499.56 | £536.88 | -6.95% |
| Roofing | £775.59 | £690.86 | 12.26% |
| Scaffolding | £485.31 | £442.96 | 9.56% |
| Shopfitting | £866.76 | £962.33 | -9.93% |
| Steel & Timber frame erect | £689.28 | £719.38 | -4.18% |
| Surfacing contractors | £607.60 | £542.42 | 12.02% |
| Average | £649.97 | £634.94 | 2.37% |
MIDLANDS
| Last Month | 3 months ago | % change | |
| Bricklaying | £607.60 | £576.91 | 5.32% |
| Civil Engineering | £725.48 | £720.23 | 0.73% |
| Demolition | £752.35 | £758.81 | -0.85% |
| Electrical | £697.07 | £677.22 | 2.93% |
| Equipment & Operator hire | £607.57 | £640.24 | -5.10% |
| Fit out by specialist trades | £741.57 | £683.75 | 8.46% |
| General Construction | £692.76 | £681.14 | 1.71% |
| Insulation | £671.15 | £657.63 | 2.06% |
| Joinery | £691.25 | £639.24 | 8.14% |
| Mechanical | £865.47 | £877.68 | -1.39% |
| Plastering | £607.07 | £606.48 | 0.10% |
| Plumbing | £785.96 | £776.84 | 1.17% |
| Roofing | £634.02 | £551.85 | 14.89% |
| Scaffolding | £658.32 | £597.24 | 10.23% |
| Shopfitting | £824.13 | £722.70 | 14.03% |
| Steel & Timber frame erect | £560.46 | £579.74 | -3.33% |
| Surfacing contractors | £822.77 | £794.46 | 3.56% |
| Average | £702.65 | £678.95 | 3.49% |
SOUTH EAST
| Last Month | 3 months ago | % change | |
| Bricklaying | £637.20 | £652.40 | -2.33% |
| Civil Engineering | £720.19 | £699.95 | 2.89% |
| Demolition | £627.41 | £609.41 | 2.95% |
| Electrical | £855.79 | £853.06 | 0.32% |
| Equipment & Operator hire | £799.44 | £790.70 | 1.11% |
| Fit out by specialist trades | £712.23 | £720.04 | -1.08% |
| General Construction | £668.72 | £650.24 | 2.84% |
| Insulation | £794.34 | £777.20 | 2.21% |
| Joinery | £746.20 | £732.38 | 1.89% |
| Mechanical | £750.32 | £752.71 | -0.32% |
| Plastering | £613.99 | £603.87 | 1.68% |
| Plumbing | £826.70 | £800.52 | 3.27% |
| Roofing | £615.20 | £622.19 | -1.12% |
| Scaffolding | £693.41 | £667.70 | 3.85% |
| Shopfitting | £930.53 | £902.10 | 3.15% |
| Steel & Timber frame erect | £624.92 | £629.30 | -0.70% |
| Surfacing contractors | £670.95 | £660.98 | 1.51% |
| Average | £722.80 | £713.22 | 1.34% |
SOUTH WEST
| Last Month | 3 months ago | % change | |
| Bricklaying | £462.56 | £534.30 | -13.43% |
| Civil Engineering | £692.30 | £597.93 | 15.78% |
| Demolition | £606.66 | £630.67 | -3.81% |
| Electrical | £652.44 | £581.16 | 12.27% |
| Equipment & Operator hire | £561.86 | £564.11 | -0.40% |
| Fit out by specialist trades | £849.36 | £802.33 | 5.86% |
| General Construction | £644.14 | £650.86 | -1.03% |
| Insulation | £613.87 | £591.68 | 3.75% |
| Joinery | £460.84 | £530.50 | -13.13% |
| Mechanical | £702.66 | £617.20 | 13.85% |
| Plastering | £661.81 | £670.48 | -1.29% |
| Plumbing | £658.25 | £654.78 | 0.53% |
| Roofing | £677.60 | £596.64 | 13.57% |
| Scaffolding | £668.93 | £607.98 | 10.03% |
| Shopfitting | £801.64 | £797.69 | 0.50% |
| Steel & Timber frame erect | £677.89 | £756.38 | -10.38% |
| Surfacing contractors | £557.48 | £562.17 | -0.83% |
| Average | £644.13 | £632.17 | 1.89% |
Hudson Contract’s ‘window on the construction 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 over the twelve weeks to 31st October 2014.
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