Salaries for small building firms set to soar, says FMB

Salaries for small building firms are soaring as a result of the growing skills shortage, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Commenting on the results of the FMB’s State of Trade Survey for Q1 2016, Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, says small firms are struggling to hire bricklayers.

But he believes small building firms’ workloads will continue to grow despite the ‘uncertainty’ of the EU referendum on June 23.

Berry said: “More than half of small construction firms are predicting that wages and salaries will increase over the coming six months.

“Given that brickies are already able to command wages of up to £60,000 per year in London and around £45,000 a year in the north of England, it’s clear that the skills squeeze is starting to push up costs for construction SMEs.

“A whopping 55 per cent of small building firms are currently reporting difficulties hiring bricklayers, which makes these tradespeople the most in-demand of all construction workers.

“This particular skills shortage is of course linked to the steady growth in private house building.

“The results for the first three months of this year show consistent growth among small construction firms in almost all parts of the UK.

“What’s more, despite evidence of the EU referendum causing some uncertainty within the business community, more than two-thirds of firms expect their workloads to increase over the coming three months.

“These results are heartening but skills shortages, and the knock-on effect on wages and salaries, remains a major cause for concern.”