Freelance Builder Pay Trends: August 2024

Subbies see record earnings across key trades

Subcontractors enjoyed record earnings across key trades last month, according to the largest payroll in the construction industry. 

Hudson Contract said self-employed tradespeople saw their pay rise 1.2 per cent to an average of £1,028 per week in the month of August, the second highest on record. 

Year-on-year, earnings increased by 1.6 per cent compared to the same month in 2023. 

Insulation trades saw the strongest growth, with earnings rising 7.3 per cent to a record-breaking £1,218 per week last month.

They were followed by bricklaying (up 4.6 per cent to £1,032); demolition (up 3.5 per cent to £1,025); and scaffolding (up 2 per cent to £975) subcontractors; all increasing to record levels. 

Hudson’s pay trends analysis is based on payments made on behalf of circa 2,600 construction SMEs across England and Wales. 

Ian Anfield, managing director, said: “Our latest figures demonstrate the continued demand for the most highly skilled, safe and productive tradespeople in construction – the self-employed subcontractors. 

“Several trades are seeing record earnings even when housebuilding activity is relatively flat and way below government targets.

“If the new government and its agencies are serious about boosting output to around 300,000 new homes every year, they should recognise the positive contribution made by self-employed tradespeople, and not get sucked into constant criticism of them or their clients. 

“Contrary to what the CITB and some training providers are saying, an increase in housebuilding activity does not necessarily mean increasing the number of tradespeople by hundreds of thousands over the next few years. 

“Construction is cyclical with peaks and troughs in the market. Companies will adapt and reorganise their resources to maximise the skills available to them on site. To suggest we can train or import an extra 40,000 people a year is just pie in the sky, so whatever happens, skilled subcontractors will always be in demand.”

Hudson Contract provides 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 our statistics to the Bank of England, helping to keep policymakers updated with insights on demand for skilled labour.

To view our interactive pay trends map click here