8 Out of 10 Subbies Back on Site as Average Earnings Slide

DEMAND FOR LABOUR in the UK construction industry has recovered 79 per cent of pre-lockdown capacity, according to Hudson Contract.

The CIS payroll company made a total of 117,591 payments to freelance operatives in August, compared to a peak of 149,067 in February and a trough of 80,625 in April.

The bounce-back points to a V-shaped recovery for the construction sector.

Ian Anfield, Managing Director, said: “There is no shortage of work for highly skilled tradespeople. Building sites are becoming more productive per head and the quality of work is improving because they only have the best lads working on them.

“Building firms have been tightening up on surplus labour because their margins are being squeezed by main contractors asking for discounts, social distancing measures on site and larger projects splitting into smaller schemes.”

Ian added the remaining proportion of people are choosing not to return to work as a result of state support schemes or seeking opportunities in other sectors.

Average Earnings

Overall, average weekly earnings for subcontractors slipped by 1.3 per cent to £877 during the month of August, a similar drop to last year’s holiday season.

The best-performing regions were the North West (up 5.6 per cent), the North East (up 2 per cent) and London (up 0.3 per cent).

National Weekly Average Earnings in August 2020 were £877, Hudson Contract says.

Roofers’ Average Wage

The national average weekly wage for a roofer was £775 according to Hudson Contract. The figure is calculated from the past 3 years data and is across all age groups.