Year-end & cash flow

Roofing subcontracters see biggest construction sector wage increase

Self-employed tradespeople in the roofing industry saw the highest yearly wage increase within the entire construction sector, according to new data.

Contract auditors Hudson Contracts calculated average earnings for trades such as plastering, plumbing and bricklaying by analysing payroll data for over 2, 200 construction companies.

The research revealed that freelance and self-employed roofers experienced a 6.1 per cent increase in average earnings over the last 12 months.

Subcontracted plasterers followed roofers with an annual pay rise of 4.8 per cent.

Comparatively, self-employed tradespeople working in the equipment and operator hire industry witnessed the highest drop in wages, at an average of 4.1 per cent.

Reflecting on the statistics, Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, offered a note of caution, warning that the increases in wages threatened to be undermined by a rise in the domestic prices of materials.

the cost of building materials is back on the increase, with prices paid rising at the second-fastest rate since before the London Olympics.

if that trend continues, and the signs are that it will, then firms will come under pressure with margins squeezed and fixed-price contracts affecting profitability, he said in a statement.

The earnings index also indicated that the wages of tradespeople operating regionally were increasing at a stronger rate than those in major cities.