Average weekly earnings for self-employed construction tradespeople in London fell to £1,104 in August 2026, down 0.6% on July and 2% on a year earlier, according to Hudson Contract. London was the only one of its ten reported regions to record both a monthly and an annual decline. The capital moved against Hudson’s wider England and Wales average, which reached a company-reported record of £1,110 a week. The figures, published on 24 September, cover self-employed trade earnings within Hudson’s dataset across 17 trades. They are not an official measure of every construction worker’s pay.
London’s earnings premium has disappeared in this comparison
Hudson’s August 2026 earnings release puts London fifth among its ten regions. Wales, the East of England, the South East and the South West all recorded higher weekly averages. A comparison with Hudson’s published August 2025 figures shows how the relationship has changed. London then averaged £1,127 a week, against £1,062 across England and Wales.
| Weekly earnings measure | August 2025 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| London average | £1,127 | £1,104 |
| England and Wales average | £1,062 | £1,110 |
| London difference from wider average | £65 above | £6 below |
Source: Hudson Contract’s August releases for 2025 and 2026. Differences calculated by LCM from the published weekly averages. London’s average fell by £23 between the two August readings while the wider average increased by £48. That establishes a change in the reported regional comparison, but does not show that the same individuals lost £23 each week or that equivalent trades now command lower rates in London.
Weekly earnings are not a daily labour rate
Hudson’s Construction Pay Trends documentation describes monthly figures compiled from information received from clients each day. Its interactive tool covers labour-only subcontractors and allows users to examine regions, trades and age groups. The tool’s prominent headline figure is a three-year average. Individual monthly readings appear separately, so that headline should not be mistaken for the latest month’s earnings.
For estimating purposes, a weekly earnings total cannot establish an hourly or daily price without knowing the time worked. It also cannot establish a comparable annual salary without assumptions about working weeks and the terms of engagement. LCM’s analysis of London construction management salaries and working hours examines the separate question of how employment packages compare. The August release does not disclose the number of London subcontractors represented or provide enough methodological detail to isolate changes in hours, trade mix and underlying rates. LCM therefore reports the figures as average weekly earnings, without converting them into take-home income or a London day-rate benchmark.
The figures do not establish a continuous decline
Hudson’s June 2026 release recorded London earnings of £1,097 a week. August’s figure was £7 higher, despite the latest monthly fall. The available readings therefore do not support describing the period from June to August as an uninterrupted decline. Hudson managing director Ian Anfield said: “Rates remain strong – not because the sector is booming but for structural reasons reducing the supply of skilled labour.”
Across the wider dataset, plumbing averaged £1,348 a week, joinery £1,247 and steel and timber frame contracting £1,102. These are trade averages across England and Wales; the release does not identify them as London rates. For contractors, the distinction between workforce availability and headline earnings remains relevant. LCM’s review of construction trades facing skills shortages examines why recruitment conditions differ by occupation and project requirements. Hudson’s next monthly update will provide the next comparison for London. Its pay-trends page says data is updated after the previous month ends, but the August announcement gives no confirmed publication date for September’s earnings.
|
Expert Verification & Authorship: Mihai Chelmus
Founder, London Construction Magazine | Construction Testing & Investigation Specialist |
Photograph copyright and permissions:
© 2026 Mihai Chelmus. All rights reserved.
Published by London Construction Magazine.
Permission is required to reproduce this photograph.
To request a licence, email
info@constructionmagazine.uk,
identifying this photograph and your intended use.