Self-employed tradespeople earnings rise 5.5% year-on-year despite Easter dip 

Self-employed tradespeople earned an average of £999 per week during April, an increase of 5.5% compared with the same month last year. Despite this annual growth, their earnings fell by 6.5% month on month, reflecting time off during the Easter holidays and in keeping with annual trends.

The analysis is based on weekly payments to self-employed tradespeople made on behalf of thousands of construction SMEs. Hudson is a leading provider of business services to the construction industry and has a base of 2,600 clients across England and Wales.

Commenting on market conditions, managing director Ian Anfield said: “Labour’s reforms to the planning system are coming through and we can see a definite attitude change among local authorities towards housing schemes. The forthcoming changes are starting to have an impact but are not yet enough to counter the high cost of borrowing and the fact that many people are worried about losing their jobs. 

“The reality is that housebuilders are probably building as many homes as they need to satisfy current demand. There is a disparity between how many new homes are needed to house everyone in the country and who is actually going to pay for those homes, whether it is the private sector, housing associations or central government.”

Ian added: “Elsewhere, we are seeing the salami slicing of infrastructure projects such as the long-planned Mottram bypass on the Manchester to Sheffield route and improvements to the A69 running east–west across the Pennines. 

“As time goes on, more homegrown tradespeople retire, long-term EU workers go home and can’t be replaced and skilled operatives who held CSCS cards under grandfather rights are banned from sites. All these factors push up demand and maintain rates for those who are still working.”

Earnings declined across England and Wales in April. Yorkshire and the Humber performed most strongly with the smallest fall at 3.8% last month. However, the region’s earnings were up by 10.8% year on year.

Hudson provides the most accurate indication of trade pay trends across the sector, publishing average pay for 17 different trades across 10 regions in England and Wales. We supply statistics to the Bank of England, informing policymakers with the latest insights on demand for skilled labour.