Tradesmen and labourers play a key role in the house building and construction industries, as they do the bulk of the hands-on work during projects.

Roles range from basic labouring to skilled positions, such as bricklayer, roofer, scaffolder, joiner and painter. There are also a handful of supervisory jobs available, including foreman and site manager.

The trades require on the job training from experienced staff and all workers have to begin either as a labourer or an apprentice, with a starting salary of around £12,000. While there are no specific educational requirements for people looking to find employment in the industry, trainees are expected to study towards relevant qualifications, such as CSkills or City & Guilds level 2 certificates in construction.

Civil engineering contractors, house builders, construction companies, buildings maintenance firms and local authorities all need skilled tradesmen. Wages for permanent staff are typically in the region of £20,000 to £30,000.

However, as much of the work is project-based, many experienced tradesmen operate on a self-employed basis, taking short-term contracts that pay more than full-time jobs. Employers can find staff for temporary assignments through specialist trades and construction recruitment agencies, which can supply reference-checked workers whenever their skills are needed on site.