It’s always exciting to think about starting a new job but you have to be sure that your wages will cover the cost of living. We all know that the price of everything is increasing so without a good salary, it’s incredibly difficult to remain comfortable.
A lot of people assume that hands on, manual jobs like labouring don’t come with a good rate of pay. But this isn’t always the case. If you’ve been thinking about starting a new career as a labourer, then you’ve probably wondered how much labourers are paid.
The very base salary for a construction labourer is just £17,000. However, this will soon rise once you are fully trained and, on average, most labourers in the UK are earning in excess of £32,000.
There’s quite a bit more to know about becoming a labourer in terms of wages. This guide will help you decide whether this job is a viable career choice for you.
What Do Labourers Do?
A construction labourer is someone that is responsible for practical tasks around a construction site. The different jobs involved are incredibly varied but one thing that you must keep in mind is that this is a very physically demanding job. The clue really is in the title and a labourer will be expected to lift, carry, bend and have a good level of physical endurance.
What you’ll do as a construction labourer will vary by the day. This is one of the reasons that it makes a great job for people who don’t want to be tied down to doing the same thing every day of their working life.
Some of the general duties you can expect to do as a labourer might include maintaining and repairing tools, digging and groundwork, set up roadworks, install surfaces and kerbs, erect panels and frames, prepare sites and perform general cleanup operations.
What Is The Average Salary Of A Construction Labourer?
The question we all want the answer to is how much are labourers paid? The salary for construction labourers really does vary according to a lot of factors. As with any job within the construction industry, your wages will largely be determined by your location. More often than not, people working in areas like London can expect a higher salary.
Your wage will also depend on which country you are working in. Labourers in the USA typically earn around $39,000 which is very slightly under £32,000 once converted. Over Australia, labourers are earning around $58,500 which is slightly higher than the UK average. Once converted, this is equal to around £33,000.
However, these differences aren’t huge and on average, in the UK, a construction labourer can expect to earn around £32,000 per year. If you break this down, that’s a monthly income of a little under £2100, which equates to around £12 per hour based on a 40 hour week.
It is important to keep in mind that you won’t necessarily start off on this salary. Usually, you will have to start as an apprentice or trainee. In this case, the wages are much lower with some people starting on as little as £17,000. That said, it doesn’t take long to train and you will then have the opportunity to earn more and even advance into other areas of construction.
How Can I Progress My Career As A Construction Labourer?
Oftentimes, construction labourers will get into the job because they are keen to learn other skills and progress onto bigger and better things. There are several entry level jobs you can do to get started including road surfacing, piling, groundwork and scaffolding. These types of jobs allow you to get into labouring without the need to attend any kind of formal education.
Once you have established a career as a labourer, you may want to work your way up. Many people use labouring as a stepping stone to get into other construction jobs like bricklaying or carpentry. If you’re looking to apply for one of these jobs directly and receive training then experience on a construction site is often preferred.
Other people use their experience as a site labourer to get into careers such as demolition so the opportunities really are vast.
In some cases, you may progress through the ranks and become a site supervisor. This is a managerial role that comes with a much higher salary. In fact, according to the National Careers Service, you could stand to earn as much as £45,000 a year when working in this role.
The more experience you can gain within the construction industry, the more chance you have of getting a better job in the future. But even for those that are happy to continue working as a site labourer, the wage is above the UK national average so it’s nothing to be sniffed at.
Conclusion
One of the first things that anyone thinks about when considering a new job is how much they will be paid. A lot of people are under the impression that working as a construction labourer doesn’t come with a great salary.
While you might start off on a relatively low wage, this will quickly increase once you are trained. The UK average for a labourer is around £32,000 and that’s higher than the national average wage. What’s more, when you work as a construction labourer, it is entirely possible to work your way up and use this as a route to other careers within the construction trade.
Moreover, you don’t really need any previous experience as there are apprenticeships, work experience roles and entry level jobs that allow you to work upwards. Provided you are keen to work hard and are physically fit, this is an excellent job role that pays quite well.