Construction and building trades n.e.c.: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 5319 · Skilled trades occupations

Construction and building trades n.e.c.

Job holders in this unit group undertake a variety of tasks in the construction, alteration, maintenance and repair of buildings, steeples, industrial chimneys and other tall structures, and of underwater structures not elsewhere classified in minor group 531: Construction and building trades.

How people enter it

There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.

What the work involves

selects, measures and cuts steel bars, rods and wire to required lengths, positions and fixes reinforcements into position and tensions as required using hydraulic jacks
lays bricks, tiles and building blocks to construct, repair and decorate buildings
pours and levels concrete, prepares surfaces for painting and plastering, and mixes and applies plaster and paint
installs plumbing fixtures, woodwork structures and fittings, and sets glass in frames
maintains and repairs steeples, industrial chimneys and other high structures, and installs and replaces lightning conductors
erects and repairs fencing
checks and puts on diving suit and equipment and descends underwater to carry out construction, maintenance and repair tasks on sites such as oil rigs, harbours, bridges etc

Also called

Builder · Building contractor · Fencer · Fireplace fitter · Maintenance manager (buildings and other structures) · Property developer (building construction)

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	188,500.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	202,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	210,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	5,200.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	7,900.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	215,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	14,000.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	17,000.00	2026-03
East Midlands	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	16,200.00	2026-03
London	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	32,500.00	2026-03
North East	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	8,500.00	2026-03
North West	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	19,800.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	5,200.00	2026-03
Scotland	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	7,900.00	2026-03
South East	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	35,000.00	2026-03
South West	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	25,700.00	2026-03
Wales	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	14,000.00	2026-03
West Midlands	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	16,700.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	5319 : Construction and building trades n.e.c.	None	17,200.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for construction and building trades n.e.c. vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.

Classified alongside this

Bricklayers · Carpenters and joiners · Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters · Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers · Roofers, roof tilers and slaters · Steel erectors · Stonemasons and related trades