Construction worker wage rises outstripping all other sectors

In the last year, average pay in the building trade shot up by 5.1 per cent, the examination of labour market statistics compiled by the Office for National Statistics revealed.

It means that staff took home an average of £593 a week in the three months to August, just under £100 more than the average weekly wage across the country.

When compared to the same period in 2014, when construction workers earned an average amount of £557 a week, those in the building trade are around £36 better off today.

The findings represent the most rapid annual rise in average pay of any industry, according to the analysis.

Across the UK as a whole, average weekly pay also jumped in the last year. It rose from £479 in 2014 to £494 today, an increase of around 3 per cent.

Gillian Econopouly, head of policy and research at CITB, said: “News that construction wages have increased faster than any other industry over the past year shows just how rewarding a construction career can be.

“This, combined with CITB forecasts indicating over 220,000 new construction jobs will be created over the next five years, indicates there is no better time to enter the industry.

“Last month we launched Go-Construct, an industry-led web portal, to showcase the wide range of opportunities available in construction and help candidates learn how to get involved.”

There are some 2.1 million jobs in the industry, a figure close to that seen in 2008 at the start of the financial crash and around 100,000 more than in 2013.

Between March and May of this year, there were estimated to be some 25,000 vacancies available in the building sector, an increase of 6,000 on the year before.