Self-employed construction workers have seen a year-on-year increase in average weekly earnings of 6.7 per cent – almost three times above the annual rate of inflation. This translates to an average of £932 a week during 2018, up £63 from 2017.
The annual Hudson Contract Pay Review also reveals that earnings are increasing faster in the North-East and West Midlands, rather than in London and the South-East.
Hudson Contract delivers the most accurate indication of sub-contractor pay trends across the construction industry, using payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies to publish the average pay for a spectrum of 17 different trades split across ten regions in England and Wales.
“Construction companies need to be flexible in order to remain competitive,” says Hudson Contract Managing Director Ian Anfield. “So the fact that skilled trades people such as plasters, joiners, scaffolders and bricklayers are commanding significantly more than this time last year is an excellent indicator of economic growth in both regions. The West Midlands has been buoyant for some time, and it now looks like the North East has started to play catch up.”
Mr Anfield continues: “It’s also enlightening to compare the survey results with official figures from the Office of National Statistics. Their latest numbers, which relate to PAYE employees, show construction salaries averaging £24,000 during 2018.
“If you compare employed income to the earnings of freelancers contracted to Hudson, which average £43,800, it is plain to see the higher earning potential for those who are prepared to give up the comfort blanket of being employed to join the growing ranks of the self-employed.
“I do have to caveat that we channel lower skilled operatives through PAYE ourselves so the figures are not a direct comparison. So without getting too deep into the analysis, our evidence demonstrates that freelancers of the same skill level as employees earn 20 per cent more.”
Looking at the year ahead, Mr Anfield says: “As always, there is plenty of chatter about skills shortages and Brexit. But ultimately, highly skilled freelancers will continue to demand – and achieve – increasing rates of pay. In contrast employees are held back by uncertainty of employers and poor increases negotiated by unions under collective agreements.”
“Rather than seeing £1,000/week tradesmen as a problem, if the CEO of a housebuilder is worth £75 million pounds a year, surely freelancers who actually deliver the product are worth at least £50,000 each. We look forward to the day when the average weekly rate for freelance brickies, joiners, and plasterers hits £1,000, they are more than worth it for the benefits they bring.”
