Salaries And Costs
Pay in Gateshead tracks North East norms, with labourers often around £11 to £14 per hour and higher on rush work, skilled trades like joiners, bricklayers, and electricians sitting between £18 and £25 per hour on site, and site supervisors or managers moving from £40,000 to £60,000 depending on project scale. Day rates for subcontract trades vary with travel, tools, and tickets, so check scope and overtime rules before sign-off. Agencies usually quote permanent recruitment fees in the 12 percent to 20 percent range of basic salary, and temp charge rates factor in holiday pay, National Insurance, pension, and margin, so ask for a clear breakdown to compare like for like. If you need night shifts, confined spaces, or short-notice cover, expect a premium.
Qualifications
Most Gateshead sites ask for a CSCS card as a baseline, with CPCS or NPORS for plant, IPAF or PASMA for access work, and UKATA asbestos awareness on refurb and housing stock. Supervisors are often expected to hold SSSTS, and managers SMSTS, with black or gold CSCS cards linked to NVQ levels. Electrical roles may need 18th Edition and ECS, gas work needs Gas Safe where relevant, and care-setting maintenance can involve DBS checks. Right to work checks sit with the employer or the supplying recruiter, so agree the process and record-keeping in advance.
Local Hiring Challenges
The labour market is tight when major refurb or infrastructure jobs overlap across the Tyne, and traffic on the A1, A19, and A194 can pinch travel times at peak. When housing repairs surge, multi-trade operatives and voids teams get snapped up, and dryliners, bricklayers, and shuttering carpenters can be hard to find on short lead times. Good agencies help with pre-booking rotas, verified references, and travel-time planning across the Tyne Bridge and the Western Bypass, which keeps no-shows down and retention steady.
Regional Or Geographic Variations
Pay can nudge up on jobs at Gateshead Quays and the Baltic Quarter, and drop slightly on longer-term work across industrial estates south of the river. Team Valley Trading Estate pulls in a mix of civils, fit-out, and light industrial maintenance, and sites near the MetroCentre tend to seek larger day gangs for fast-track programmes. Commuter links bring in workers from Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, and North Tyneside via the Tyne and Wear Metro and key road corridors, so widen catchments when planning weekend shifts.
Key Sectors Or Employers In The Region
Public sector frameworks, social housing, and education refurb keep steady volumes through the year, with local businesses in manufacturing and logistics driving industrial builds around Team Valley. Regional contractors and national names both operate here, supported by materials suppliers and off-site fabricators that feed programmes on both banks of the Tyne. That mix supports a broad range of agency bookings from groundworks to finishing trades.
Common Job Roles Agencies Recruit For
Construction recruitment agencies in Gateshead cover general labourers, telehandler and 360 operators, groundworkers, steel fixers, bricklayers, dryliners, ceiling fixers, painters, plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, site engineers, site supervisors, site managers, quantity surveyors, and project managers. For housing stock, agencies place multi-trade operatives, joiners, plasterers, tilers, and gas or electrical testers on responsive and planned works.
Hard-To-Fill Positions
Short-notice needs for shuttering carpenters, steel fixers, and setting-out engineers can stretch supply, and MEP commissioning roles can be thin on the ground. Night shift supervisors with SMSTS and live-environment experience are regularly in demand, and EWI or cladding fitters require early booking, especially near programme milestones.
Seasonal Trends Or Themes
Spring and summer bring more externals, which lifts demand for groundworks, drainage, paving, and landscaping teams, then interiors and MEP push through autumn to hit handover dates before year-end. Holiday peaks affect labourer and telehandler cover, so temp agencies often pre-book relief staff to keep cranes, hoists, and logistics running.
Roles And Career Paths
Entry paths run through labouring with CSCS, then NVQs into a trade or plant route. From there, workers step into leading hand roles, SSSTS for supervision, and SMSTS for management, with progression to site or project management. Office-based paths such as estimating, buying, or planning often start with assistant roles before moving to chartered status in time. Agencies and recruitment consultants can line up placements that support those steps, and they help jobseekers register with an agency that fits their route.
Quick Facts And FAQs
Do local employers prefer temp or perm for site teams?
Many mix both, using temp agencies for peaks and permanent hires for key roles.
How do I hire staff fast in Gateshead?
Share a clear brief, tickets, start dates, and shift pattern, then agree pay rates and overtime rules upfront.
What contract options are common?
Temporary, permanent, and contract work on CIS or PAYE, with clarity on pay rates and deductions before start.
How can businesses manage agency costs?
Compare charge rates, request itemised margins, and consider multi-week bookings to hold rates steady.
What should candidates bring to registration?
Right to work documents, proof of tickets, recent references, and bank and NI details.
Where are the busiest spots for projects?
Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead Quays, and routes close to the A1 and A19 see regular activity.
How do construction recruitment agencies support retention?
Better onboarding, site briefings, and reliable payroll keep attendance and morale strong.
Construction recruitment agencies feature across this page to help businesses find employees quickly, and give candidates a clear way to register with an agency and move into stable site work. The goal is a steady workforce that fits Gateshead’s job market and supports long-term retention, with pay rates, recruitment fees, and agency costs made transparent from the start.