WANTED | Features

Average pay among contractors
(last year’s results in purple, percentage change in italics)
	Central London	Northern Home Counties	Southern Home Counties	South-west	Wales	West Midlands	East Midlands	East Anglia	North-west	Yorkshire	North-east	Scotland	Northern Ireland	National average	Percentage change year on year
Buyer (age 27, 10 years’ exp)	34,000	30,000	29,800	25,000	25,000	27,000	28,000	28,500	27,000	28,000	25,000	24,000	25,000	27,408	6.60%
	30,000	29,000	28,500	24,000	23,000	24,000	25,000	29,000	25,000	28,000	22,000	26,500	24,000	25,720	4%
	13.50%	3.50%	4.50%	4%	9%	12.50%	12%%	–1.5%	8%	0%	13.50%	–9.5%	4%	6.50%
Estimator (age 30, 5-10 years’ exp)	34,000	31,500	32,200	27,000	26,000	30,000	31,000	31,000	30,000	29,000	29,500	28,000	27,000	29,708	3.40%
	36,500	32,000	33,500	26,000	25,500	30,000	31,000	30,000	27,500	26,500	24,000	26,500	28,000	28,730	2%
	–7%	–1.5%	–4%	4%	2%	0%	0%	3.50%	9%	9.50%	23%	5.50%	–3.5%	3.50%
Contracts manager (age 45)	42,000	40,300	39,000	34,000	35,000	41,000	43,000	35,000	37,500	36,000	35,000	36,000	35,000	37,600	3.80%
	42,500	37,000	35,500	33,000	35,500	35,500	36,000	36,000	36,500	34,500	35,000	35,500	35,000	36,210	3%
	–1%	9%	10%	3%	–1.5%	15.50%	19.50%	–3%	2.50%	4.50%	0%	1.50%	0%	4%
Project manager (age 35)	40,000	38,500	37,500	36,000	32,000	37,000	36,000	33,000	33,500	36,000	32,000	35,000	32,000	35,270	5.6
	37,500	33,000	35,000	32,000	31,500	34,000	33,000	33,000	33,500	34,500	33,000	33,500	31,000	33,400	2
	6.50%	16.50%	7%	12.50%	1.50%	9%	9%	0%	0%	4.50%	–3%	4.50%	3%	5.50%
Planner (age 30)	38,000	34,000	34,300	30,000	29,000	30,000	31,000	31,000	30,000	28,000	25,000	32,000	26,800	30,700	2.8
	39,000	33,000	32,000	29,000	29,000	28,000	32,000	32,000	29,000	25,500	24,500	29,500	27,000	29,850	4
	–2.5%	3%	7.00%	3.50%	0%	7%	–3%	–3%	3.50%	10%	2%	8.50%	–0.5%	3%
Senior quantity surveyor (age 35)	40,000	38,300	38,500	35,000	33,000	35,000	34,000	38,000	35,000	34,000	35,500	32,500	34,000	35,600	5.4
	40,000	38,000	38,500	31,000	32,000	33,000	32,000	36,500	32,000	32,500	33,500	32,500	30,000	33,790	7
	0%	1%	0%	13%	3%	6%	6%	4%	9.50%	4.50%	6%	0%	13.50%	5.50%
Contract quantity surveyor (age 27)	32,000	33,000	32,300	29,000	29,000	30,000	29,000	32,000	30,000	30,000	26,000	30,000	24,000	29,715	5.8
	32,000	31,000	31,500	27,000	26,000	30,000	27,000	32,000	26,000	29,750	25,500	27,000	24,000	28,095	5
	0%	6.50%	2.50%	7.50%	11.50%	0%	7.50%	0%	15.50%	1%	2%	11%	0%	6%
Assistant quantity surveyor (age 22, 2-3 years’ exp)	23,000	22,300	23,800	21,000	18,000	22,500	21,000	22,000	22,500	23,000	20,000	22,000	20,000	21,623	12.3
	23,000	20,000	22,500	19,000	18,000	22,000	17,000	20,500	18,500	19,500	16,500	18,500	17,000	19,260	4
	0%	11.50%	6%	10.50%	0%	2.50%	23.50%	7.50%	21.50%	18%	21%	19%	17.50%	12%
Site agent (age 40)	32,000	34,000	31,500	30,000	28,000	31,000	29,000	31,000	29,000	30,000	30,000	30,000	30,000	30,420	6.5
	32,000	31,000	31,500	27,500	29,000	28,000	23,000	31,000	28,000	28,000	26,000	27,500	28,000	28,560	4
	0%	9.50%	0%	9%	–3.5%	10.50%	26%	0%	3.50%	7%	15.50%	9%	7%	6.50%
Sub agent (age 27)	28,000	27,500	26,800	24,000	22,000	25,000	24,000	24,500	23,500	24,000	24,000	24,000	23,000	24,639	6.3
	27,000	25,000	25,000	23,000	22,000	24,500	20,000	24,000	23,000	24,000	20,000	24,000	21,000	23,180	1
	3.50%	10%	7%	4.50%	0%	2%	20%	2%	2%	0%	20%	0%	9.50%	6.50%
General foreman (age 45)	28,000	27,800	26,800	23,000	20,000	22,000	23,000	25,000	23,300	25,000	22,000	24,000	26,000	24,300	4.5
	25,000	23,000	23,500	23,000	22,000	22,500	21,000	23,000	20,500	23,000	23,500	24,500	24,000	23,240	1
	12%	21%	14%	0%	–9%	–2%	9.50%	8.50%	13.50%	8.50%	–6.5%	–2%	8.50%	4.50%
Engineer (age 25)	30,000	25,300	27,000	23,000	27,000	23,000	23,000	26,000	23,000	25,000	22,000	23,500	21,000	24,523	6.1
	26,000	25,500	25,000	21,000	24,000	23,000	24,000	25,500	24,000	24,500	20,500	20,000	20,000	23,110	7
	15.50%	–1%	8%	9.50%	12.50%	0%	–4%	2%	–4%	2%	7.50%	17.50%	5%	6%
Methodology
Statistics were compiled by construction and property recruitment consultant Hays Montrose using the salary details held by its 55 regional offices. The typical annual salary is the average of results from all offices in the region rounded to the nearest £50. For a free CD-ROM of the Contractors’ Salary Guide 2003/04, please visit: www.hayspersonnel.com/salarysurveys.