Self-employed tradesmen in Wales are benefitting from a year on year increase in earnings compared with colleagues in England, according to the latest interactive pay trends index.
Developed by Hudson Contract, the ‘Construction Pay Trends’ index has revealed that Welsh workers have experienced a 5.3% rise year on year in their wages. This is in comparison to 1.8% nationally throughout England.
The index collates data from more than 2,000 building companies throughout England and Wales. It shows weekly pay differences by sub sectors, age and region, such as joinery and bricklaying through to surfacing and roofing contractors.
The sharpest drop in average weekly pay was experienced in the North East, where earnings declined by 2.1% for the year to date in 2016 compared to last year. Furthermore, London experienced a 0.4% fall.
Wages in the roofing industry overall increase by 6.2%, followed by 4.8% in plastering and 4.2% in scaffolding.
Those working in the Equipment and Operator Hire industry saw a 4.1% average fall in earnings for the year to date in 2016 compared with last year. This was followed by a yearly pay fall of 1% in bricklaying and just a 1.1% average rise in earnings for Civil Engineering tradesmen.
Managing Director at Hudson Contract, Ian Anfield, commented: “We’ve developed the Construction Pay Trends index to provide the most comprehensive insight into pay levels across the industry. It has revealed some fascinating trends on both a national and regional level, with tradesman in Wales experiencing the sharpest annual growth in earnings.
“The index will update monthly to reveal the latest pay trends – providing the perfect online career resource for building apprentices through to industry analysts assessing the ongoing health of the construction sector.”
Meanwhile, West Wycombe-based construction firm H&L Construction Solutions and Lancashire’s Matthews & Leigh have each gained a funded apprentice for a year after benefiting from a national scholarship scheme.
The initiative, launched by Hudson Contract to celebrate its 20th anniversary, provides two young apprentices with a 12-month opportunity to take their first steps on the construction career ladder.
