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

Occupation 8159 · Process, plant and machine operatives

Construction operatives n.e.c.

Job holders in this unit group operate insulating equipment, fix plasterboard to ceilings and walls, help construct, maintain, repair and demolish buildings and clean and resurface eroded stonework, lay, join and examine pipe sections for drainage, gas, water or similar piping systems, install lighting systems in roads, domestic and commercial settings and carry out a variety of other construction operative tasks not elsewhere classified in minor group 815: Construction operatives.

How people enter it

There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically provided on-the-job. NVQs/SVQs in Building and Construction at levels 1, 2 and 3 and apprenticeships in some areas are available.

What the work involves

fills machine with insulating mixture, positions hose, drills access hole and fills cavities or coats surfaces to prevent loss or absorption of heat and provide fire protections
cuts, shapes and fits wood, lays bricks and tiles, cleans exterior surfaces of buildings and resurfaces eroded stone or brickwork, and performs other tasks in the construction, alteration, repair and demolition of buildings
selects appropriate asbestos, clay, concrete, plastic or metal pipe sections and lowers them into prepared trenches using hoisting equipment
joints pipe by sealing with rubber, cement, lead, etc., connects piping to manholes and attaches pipe junctions as required
tests joints with electronic test equipment or by filling piping with water, smoke or compressed air
installs electrical lighting in streets, homes and business/manufacturing settings

Also called

Asbestos remover · Cable layer · Demolition worker · General handyman · Maintenance man · Public lighting operative · Thermal insulation engineer

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	72,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	77,200.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	83,600.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	1,800.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	6,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	85,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	None	2026-03	4,600.00	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	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	9,700.00	2026-03
East Midlands	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	8,600.00	2026-03
London	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	8,100.00	2026-03
North East	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	3,600.00	2026-03
North West	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	9,400.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	1,800.00	2026-03
Scotland	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	6,400.00	2026-03
South East	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	14,000.00	2026-03
South West	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	8,400.00	2026-03
Wales	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	4,600.00	2026-03
West Midlands	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	3,500.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	8159 : Construction operatives n.e.c.	None	7,200.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for construction operatives 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

Rail construction and maintenance operatives · Road construction operatives · Scaffolders, stagers and riggers