Labour rates on Britain’s building sites have bounced back after dipping during the seasonal slowdown, according to analysis of construction’s largest payroll.

Hudson found that self-employed tradespeople earned an average of £1,084 per week in February, matching the record high in December, and representing an 8.4 per cent monthly increase compared to January.

Year on year, average earnings rose 2.4 per cent.

All 17 trades saw month-on-month increases with bricklayers (up 17.5 per cent), joiners (17 per cent) and surfacing contractors (13.8 per cent) seeing the biggest growth in earnings.

Commenting on Hudson’s figures, regional account manager Andy Simpson said: “The outlook had been improving with Building Safety Act gateway backlogs clearing, inflation stabilising and interest rates falling. But that has been clouded by the conflict in the Middle East, which has pushed oil prices higher.

“With construction materials from plastic pipes to concrete reliant on fossil fuels, cost pressures are back with a vengeance. Traders are now betting on a Bank of England rate rise rather than a cut, with energy buyers in the UK hedging three months ahead, meaning summer costs will reflect today's oil price regardless of how quickly the situation resolves.”

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 company serves a national client base of 2,600 construction SMEs, ranging from specialist subcontractors to medium and large-sized businesses.