Construction salary guide: Could you be earning more?

Construction Salary Guide: Professionals
Architects:
Engineers:
Quantity surveyors:
Site managers:
Construction Salary Guide: Graduates

Our construction salary guide lets you know how your salary compares with the industry average. Whether you’re a construction graduate or an industry professional, knowing if you could be earning more elsewhere can be the boost you need to take the next step in your career.

Check out our construction salary guide below:

Construction Salary Guide: Professionals

If you’ve been working in the construction industry for a while, you can expect to earn a lot more than the average graduate.

The national average salaries for the following positions are:

Architects:

Architect:£37,250
Associate:£52,500
Partner / Director:£72,500

Click to search architect jobs

Engineers:

Graduate engineer:£24,000
Senior engineer:£41,500
Associate engineer:£52,500

Click to search construction engineering jobs

Quantity surveyors:

Graduate quantity surveyor:£22,500
Senior quantity surveyor:
£46,500
Associate quantity surveyor:£59,000

Click to search quantity surveyor jobs

Site managers:

Site manager (construction):
£40, 353

Click to search site manager jobs

Other factors to consider:

Despite salary often being the key determinant over whether a candidate accepts or rejects a job offer, it’s not the only factor worth considering. Other perks such as a pension scheme, private healthcare or a company car can also influence your decision, as can more practical decisions such as location. Another important factor to think about is the future career opportunities the role could give you, so evaluating if there’s a clear career progression path is crucial.

Looking for a new opportunity in construction? Whether your interested in contract or a permanent position take a look at our latest job listings to find your next job opportunity.

Construction Salary Guide: Graduates

According to last year’s Annual Graduate Recruitment Survey conducted by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), the median graduate starting salary at a construction company or consultancy is £25,500. However, this result is based on figures from some of the biggest recruiters in the industry, who tend to offer more generous salaries.

In 2016, the approximate starting salaries for leading construction graduate schemes were the following:

Babcock International Group:£27,000-£30,000
Goldcrest:£27,000
Croudace Homes Group Ltd:£26,000
Lloyd’s Register:£25,500–£27,500
Laing O’Rourke:£25,000-£29,000
Skanska UK:
£25,000–£29,000
Amey:£24,500–£26,500
Mott MacDonald:£24,000–£28,000
Mace:£24,000–£28,000
Wates:£24,000–£27,000
Barratt Developments:£24,000, rising to £27,000 in London, Aberdeen and for accelerated graduates
Sir Robert McAlpine:up to £24,000
Arup:£23,000–£26,000
McGee Group Ltd:£22,500
BAM Construct:£21,000-£31,000
JLL:£21,000–£25,000
Rider Levett Bucknall UK:£20,000–£26,000

However, since these companies and consultancies are a few of the biggest in the industry, their starting salaries for graduates are likely to be higher than average. In fact, the Hays Construction & Property Salary Guide 2016 indicates that the national average salaries for construction graduates are actually much lower.

Also providing a breakdown of salaries based on the region you’re working in, the Hays Construction & Property Salary Guide found that the national average salaries for those in the construction industry ranged from £18,250 for an architectural assistant part one, to £25,000 for an architectural CAD technician. However, these figures can vary greatly depending on where you’re working. For instance, the national average salary for a graduate engineer is £24,000, however this figure can drop to £22,000 in South West England or rise to £27,500 in Greater London.

The salary guide determines that the national average salaries for construction industry graduates are: