Construction subbies earned 3.6% pay rise while public sector got 'double bubble'

Self-employed tradespeople saw their earnings rise by 3.6 per cent last year, barely keeping pace with consumer price inflation at 3.5 per cent, according to our annual pay trends review.

This was less than half the annual average regular earnings growth of 7.9 per cent for the public sector between September and November (ONS release here).

The analysis, based on more than 1.8 million payments made by Hudson to approximately 60,000 subcontractors over 12 months.

Highly skilled freelancers earned an average of £1,045 per week come rain or shine during 2025, compared to £1,009 per week the previous year. 

Ian Anfield, managing director at Hudson Contract, said: "Hard-working subbies are in massive demand but only managed a 3.6 per cent pay rise last year, while self-employed operatives face increased accountancy costs from Making Tax Digital, delays taking on new work because of Right to Work checks, and a shrinking workload due to the Building Safety Act, planning constraints and red tape.

"At the same time, public sector workers get double bubble of 7.9 per cent from the taxpayer. Meanwhile, benefit spending continues to surge, placing an ever-growing burden on the working population.

"It's little wonder that Leeds bricklayer Don Daniels went viral with his social media posts about Benefits Britain while he's grafting on sites through the winter. In a post that resonated with millions, he said no one wants to be laying bricks on a cold and wet morning in Doncaster – but there are people on benefits relying on him."

Mr Anfield added: "Earnings growth in construction remains artificially inflated by an ongoing shortage of skilled workers, as EU nationals continue to return to their homelands. The number of self-employed in the industry has fallen, along with overall employment levels, while planning approvals remain constrained and a raft of new levies and regulations continue to strangle the sector.”

Hudson tracks average pay for 17 different trades across 10 regions in England and Wales, supplying labour market statistics to the Bank of England to inform policy decisions on skilled labour demand.

The Bridlington, East Yorkshire-based company serves a client base of 2,600 construction SMEs, ranging from specialist subcontractors to medium-sized businesses across England and Wales. Hudson is the only provider of its kind with case law in its name and is rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot.