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"Now, as builders take on new work, the shortage of skilled tradespeople has allowed bricklayers and other subcontractors to ramp up their hourly rates."

I cannot verify their figures but this Guardian article is interesting.

Read the article in full: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/sep/22/bricklayers-boom-skills-timebomb-uk-construction-industry

There is definitely a skills shortage in the landscape industry but, unlike the building industry, there isn't the same surge in wages.

Is anyone finding that wages for skilled hard landscapers and labourers has risen in recent months?

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  • So the Daily Mail is wrong to constantly say our trades are being taken over by the billions of Eastern Europeans coming over to milk the benefits system? Driving our poor brickies to the food banks, whilst we give them council houses and child benefit for their huge families?

    I thought so. :-)

  • PRO
    Paul you seem to be suggesting that the Daily Mail is nothing more than a vile, hate ridden, fear inducing, divisive newspaper whose aim is nothing more than to harass and vilify anyone who is a 'minority' and keep us all from realising that we are all exactly the same.

    Where do you come up with these crazy notions....:-)
  • The past 6 months I've noticed a sharp upturn in Yorkshire, in all areas - Alot of smaller players have gone back to salaried work - and most of the larger proffessional outfits in both maintenance and landscaping cant keep up with the work - I've been turning work away for 4 months now, and from experience and others anecdotes, rates seem to have jumped 20% on average here. I know fact- builders are quoting 50% more on labour for smaller jobs and abour 25% larger jobs - as I need my roof re-doing and the same company that quoted last year has put their prices up - and were honest about it "sorry dave, but I dont need the work"

    Will be interesting to see if this surge continues into next year -

  • PRO Supplier

    Do you think that the recent data on the 'brick shortage' will be affecting the hourly rates of builders?

  • PRO
    Admittedly this article is from the start of 2014 so there may have been in shift.

    It seems that shortages are caused by a drop reduction in production and supply issues rather than increased demand.

    http://brickonomics.building.co.uk/2014/02/brick-block-shortage-hou...



    Acacia Groundcare Hire said:

    Do you think that the recent data on the 'brick shortage' will be affecting the hourly rates of builders?

  • PRO Supplier

    Interesting read, thanks - seems it's almost a phantom panic for brick shortages then!

    If skills shortages are becoming a big issue in building then it's logical that labour prices are rising - demand is rising as supply of builders falls. Perhaps this will catch up in the landscaping industry over time as the skills shortage becomes more apparent - although as quite a few threads have discussed, over summer all sorts of people offer mowing and garden services without having relevant qualifications and skills, making supply higher than demand!

    Be interesting to know how wages of garden designers are changing too, as this is a different set of skills in the same industry.

  • I'm in derbyshire and summer this year since everything's picked up supply is now outstripping demand. Everyone's getting by even the new start ups but now it's hitting winter there all turning to labouring for other people such as the construction trade. It's great all the new companies but there mostly doing it just to get by and have to less work than a normal 40 hour week so there not actually growing a business or investing back in to it.
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