Self-Employed Tradespeople Get Record Pay Rates

SELF EMPLOYED TRADESPEOPLE are commanding record pay rates for their skilled services. That’s according to Hudson Contract payroll information, which is the biggest payroll provider in the UK construction industry.

Average weekly earnings rose by 1.6 per cent to £959 during last month, the highest December pay levels on record and 5.2 per cent higher than the same period last year.

Subcontractors enjoyed their biggest-ever December pay packets in the East Midlands (£1,053), the East of England (£1,024), London (£1,016) and the South East (£1,025).

Ian Anfield, Managing Director of Hudson Contract, said: “We capped off 2021 with all-time highs in subbie earnings with the best-performing regions being more than 10 per cent up on December 2020.”

He added: “As we have seen year after year, we usually see earnings fall back in January because people work fewer hours. This is because colder temperatures make the wet trades more difficult – though this year seems mild by comparison – and we have the added complication of Covid and materials shortages slowing things down instead.

“From February on we would expect a steady rise in earnings to reach December levels by April. Before Christmas people were doing more hours and commanding the highest rates that self-employed trades have ever been able to charge but with all the other factors it is difficult to predict what 2022 holds.”

Skilled Roofer Pay Rates

For skilled roofers, average weekly pay in December was £812 nationally, a rise of 5.8% on November’s average rate.

Regional average pay for skilled roofers was:

By age, average national pay for skilled roofers in December 2021 was:

>>Read more on roofer pay in the news