Skilled Tradespeople See Pay Rise of 6.1 per cent But Struggle with Soaring Marketing Fees, HaMuch Reveals

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  Posted by: electime      15th November 2024

The latest insight from HaMuch, the best place to find the country’s best tradespeople, reveals that the average salary for skilled construction and building tradespeople in the UK has increased by 6.1 per cent in the past year, but that their earnings are being increasingly eaten into by the rising cost of vital marketing platforms who have chosen to set their sights on larger corporate entities at the expense of their core customer base.

HaMuch has analysed the average annual salary for 10 different types of skilled construction and building tradespeople in the UK – from electricians to bricklayers – and how it has changed over the past 12 months.

Trade pay on the up

The data reveals that across the ten different categories of tradespeople, the average annual salary now stands at £34,554. This is 6.1 per cent higher than 2023’s average of £32,560.

The biggest annual salary boost has been seen among construction and building professionals whose earnings have grown by 13.4 per cent on the year to stand at a 2024 average of £34,257 per year.

Electricians are the highest paid tradespeople with an average annual salary of £38,328.

The only tradespeople to suffer a pay cut this year are stonemasons whose average earnings are down -8.4 per cent compared to last year.

Profits eaten away by excessive marketing costs

While these widespread pay increases are great news for tradespeople in the UK, there is increasing frustration among them that the fees they are being charged to market their services keep going up.

Since the rise of the internet, a select few websites have grown to become the most essential marketing platforms for tradespeople of all kinds, with the most well-known of those platforms being CheckaTrade.

Tradespeople have to pay to advertise themselves on CheckaTrade, and anger is brewing about the manner in which CheckaTrade is increasing its fees and according to some professionals, they’re getting a very poor service for this significant investment.

According to Tradesmansaver.co.uk, tradespeople are increasingly dissatisfied with Checkatrade’s aggressive pricing strategies, with ad hoc comments suggesting price hikes of 36 per cent which suggests the cost of an annual membership subscription have increased significantly.

Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented:

“It’s brilliant to see our tradespeople benefitting from increased earnings. Everyone from bricklayers and electricians to carpenters and roofers are a vital part of the UK economy, whether they’re building essential new homes or helping homeowners maintain their properties, and they deserve every pay increase they earn.

And that’s why it’s so disappointing to see industry giants like Checkatrade choosing to ramp up their fees in pursuit of larger corporate clients at the expense of the average tradesperson who made them who they are today.

At HaMuch, we are proud to do things differently and ensure that we provide a top-tier marketplace for tradespeople without forcing them to pay through the nose for simply finding clients. We know that the only time we succeed is when tradespeople succeed, and this guides our entire philosophy when it comes to matching skilled trade and craftspeople with clients who need jobs doing to the highest possible standard.”

A spokesperson from Checkatrade said:

At Checkatrade, our mission is to help members thrive by providing quality leads, enhanced business support, and added value that goes beyond job matching. To achieve this, we’ve made significant investments to improve location coverage at a postcode level, ensuring leads are closer to members’ preferred areas, and expanded sub-category coverage to better match leads to specific skills.

 

Additionally, we’ve introduced new benefits through our partnership with ONSI, offering savings on essentials like tools and fuel, as well as on everyday expenses such as groceries and leisure activities. While the recent membership price updates reflect these meaningful improvements, they also take into account the wider economic landscape, ensuring we can continue to deliver the quality leads and support our loyal members rely on.

Data tables and sources