Earnings for self-employed tradespeople have recovered to pre-COVID levels, with average weekly pay rising by 1.2% during November to £901, the highest level since February.
For plumbers, weekly pay rose to £991 in November, a slight increase on October’s figure of £976.
The best-performing regions for earnings growth across all trades were the North East (up 8.4%), London (up 6.8%) and the South West (up 5.3%).
Ian Anfield, Managing Director of Hudson Contract, said: “The recovery in earnings for self-employed tradespeople is welcome news for households in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year.
“It was business as usual for most construction firms last month as they continued to operate through the lockdown. Skilled workers who want to work are working. Others are staying at home and claiming the government’s self-employment income support scheme.
“Most of our clients are reporting a decent amount of activity and have already secured projects for next year.”
“The housebuilding sector remains buoyant with support measures due to continue into the first quarter of 2021 and the government is committed to new infrastructure spending.”
Hudson Contract delivers the most accurate indication of subcontractor pay trends across the construction industry, using payroll data to publish the average pay for a spectrum of 17 different trades split across 10 regions in England and Wales. The family-owned group supplies statistics to the Bank of England to keep policymakers updated with real-time insights on demand for skilled labour.
