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Summer 2022 23 N ew research reveals that, on average, women in the construction and building trades earnmore money than their male counterparts, but large gaps in the available data suggest a signi cant imbalance still remains in terms of the level of their employment in some sub-sectors. According to the O ce for National Statistics (ONS) the gender pay gap is calculated as the di erence between average hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of men and women as a proportion of men’s average hourly earnings (excluding overtime). It is not simply the di erence in pay betweenmen and women doing the same job. Using this pay gap methodology, property maintenance solution provider Help Me Fix analysed the construction and building trades to gain insight into the construction industry’s gender pay balance. Across the UK as a whole, men earn an average hourly salary of £19.31 while women earn an average of £16.43. Using the ONS gender pay calculation, this means that the pay gap between men and women is 14.9%. In the construction industry, however, the average hourly earnings for men is £13.64 and for women it’s £14.02, meaning that the gender pay gap actually swings in favour of women by 2.8%. e sub-industry in which women out-earn men the most is carpentry and joinery, with a pay gap of 12.8% in favour of women. Women also earn more in the NEC sub-sector, with the pay gap swinging 4.8% in their favour. However, men still earn more in the building nishing trades (13.5%), painting and decorating (6.9%) and plumbing, heating, and ventilation (1.9%). ere is one very signi cant caveat to the narrative that women come out on top in the construction gender pay gap and that is the fact that they are largely outnumbered by their male counterparts. Many of the industry’s sub-sectors have no data at all on how much women earn, only men. ese sectors include steel erectors; bricklayers and masons; roofers, roof tilers and slaters; glaziers; window fabricators and tters; plasterers; and oorers and wall tilers. is can arguably lead to the conclusion that because so few women work in these sub-sectors there is insu cient data to provide a topline gure. Help me Fix Founder, Ettan Bazil, said: “While the presence of women may be far scarcer within the construction sector, the roles they do occupy are largely those that are better paid, so while this positive pay trend is great for women who do opt for a career in construction, the gaps in the data are, in many ways, more enlightening. “With so many sub-sectors providing no insight into female pay levels, we can only conclude that there simply aren’t a su cient number of women working within them. While a robust level of pay is great to see, the real aim for the industry should be attracting more women to roles across the board.” << Following the success of the jobs drive, ministers have renewed a focus on supporting in-work progression for workers across the country through the national network of jobcentres. Having picked up the roles that the economy needed, people are now being supported by their jobcentre to progress, helping them to earn more money, get more hours, and use their experience as a springboard for their career. In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions is focused on supporting the long-term unemployed, older workers and those with health conditions to nd work, helping the UK maximise employment and supporting economic growth. Midlife MOT’s will help older workers take stock of their skills and nances, and take advantage of those years in work over 50, which can often be the most interesting and lucrative. In addition, ministers have committed to spending £1.3 billion to support people with disability and health challenges into work, building on the expansion of Disability Employment Advisers. And because returning to work can be more di cult after an extended period of unemployment, the Government’s Restart Scheme will give jobseekers a year of intensive support to help get them back on the job ladder, and is already supporting a quarter of a million back into work. “Our ABC approach to help people get ANY job first, a BETTER job next and into a CAREER is off to a flying start. With people in jobs, we can move to the next stage – helping them progress in-work and boost their earnings.” ‘WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION EARN MORE THAN MEN’ But it’s a different story in ‘sub trades’