Construction wages bounce back as demand for labour grows

Construction wages and salaries bounced back in spring, as the coronavirus lockdown eased, pushing up demand for workers.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that total pay for construction workers increased by 9.7% year-on-year for the period from March to May 2021. That followed a decline of 10.3% in April to June 2020 .

The ONS said the strong pay growth was being affected by a base effect, where the latest months are now being compared with low base period when earnings were first affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, demand for construction workers remains high, with 33,000 vacancies in the sector in the period April to June 2021, down slightly from the 35,000 in March to May 2021. The figures mean that demand for construction workers since March this year has been at its highest level in nearly 20 years – since July to September 2001, when there were 31,000 vacancies.