Construction and building trades n.e.c.: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time construction and building trades n.e.c. in the UK earned a median £34,822 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £4,217 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 203rd of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £28,235 and £44,552.
Median full-time pay: women £27,266 a year, men £35,230 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 45,000 employee jobs, 87% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 31.9% (from £26,400), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 215,600 people in this line of work, 16% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,606 | £504.40 | £12.75 | £19,136 | £393.30* | £12.50 |
| 20th percentile | £27,009 | £558.40 | £13.82 | £24,993 | £514.50 | £13.50 |
| 25th percentile | £28,235 | £577.30 | £14.43 | £26,425 | £544.10 | £13.99 |
| 30th percentile | £29,406 | £608.80 | £15.00 | £28,023 | £574.90 | £14.48 |
| 40th percentile | £33,298 | £667.90 | £16.39 | £30,999 | £641.60 | £16.15 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £34,822 | £698.40 | £17.65 | £34,378 | £689.90 | £17.29 |
| 60th percentile | £38,108 | £777.30 | £19.02 | £36,939 | £758.30 | £18.87 |
| 70th percentile | £42,771 | £847.30 | £20.71 | £41,572 | £842.10 | £20.67 |
| 75th percentile | £44,552 | £883.80 | £21.93 | £44,436 | £872.40 | £22.10 |
| 80th percentile | £47,864* | £931.40 | £23.24 | £47,302* | £931.00 | £23.50 |
| Mean | £38,523 | £788.20 | £19.24 | £37,379 | £761.90 | £19.56 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £26,400 | £516.80 | £12.50 | £25,000 | £499.60 | 32 |
| 2022 revised | £28,482 | £538.70 | £13.27 | £27,579 | £515.40 | 31 |
| 2023 revised | £31,350 | £598.10 | £14.78 | £29,721 | £578.00 | 35 |
| 2024 revised | £33,613 | £686.10 | £16.76 | £31,928 | £667.40 | 43 |
| 2025 provisional | £34,822 | £698.40 | £17.65 | £34,378 | £689.90 | 45 |
Construction and building trades n.e.c. by region
UK: 215,600 (± 18,000), April 2025 to March 2026. 2 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 35,000* | ± 7,400 |
| London | 32,500* | ± 9,300 |
| South West | 25,700* | ± 5,800 |
| North West | 19,800* | ± 5,400 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 17,200* | ± 4,800 |
| East of England | 17,000* | ± 5,600 |
| West Midlands | 16,700* | ± 5,300 |
| East Midlands | 16,200* | ± 5,300 |
| Wales | 14,000* | ± 3,400 |
| North East | 8,500* | ± 2,900 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What construction and building trades n.e.c. do
Job holders in this unit group undertake a variety of tasks in the construction, alteration, maintenance and repair of buildings, steeples, industrial chimneys and other tall structures, and of underwater structures not elsewhere classified in minor group 531: Construction and building trades. (ONS SOC 2020, 5319)
Also covers: builder, building contractor, fencer, fireplace fitter, maintenance manager (buildings and other structures), property developer (building construction), box builder, builder's contractor, building officer, buildings officer, chimney hand, commercial diver, concrete technician, contractor builder, curtain waller, diamond driller, drainage surveyor and estate dealer (69 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Selects, measures and cuts steel bars, rods and wire to required lengths, positions and fixes reinforcements into position and tensions as required using hydraulic jacks
- Lays bricks, tiles and building blocks to construct, repair and decorate buildings
- Pours and levels concrete, prepares surfaces for painting and plastering, and mixes and applies plaster and paint
- Installs plumbing fixtures, woodwork structures and fittings, and sets glass in frames
- Maintains and repairs steeples, industrial chimneys and other high structures, and installs and replaces lightning conductors
- Erects and repairs fencing
There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.
Related
Construction and building trades (median £34,643) · Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters · Carpenters and joiners · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026