Electricians earn more than architects, survey finds

Electricians in Belfast are earning more than teachers, architects or midwives according to a new report which shows some electricians are taking home a pay packet equivalent to £58,600 a year.

The report from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) shows that it is not just electricians that are commanding big salaries in the North, tradespeople are on average earning thousands of pounds more than their friends who were university educated.

The FMB asked small building firms across Northern Ireland to tell them what they currently pay their tradespeople.

They discovered that tradespeople in many instances make more money than university graduates and that some in-demand trades like electricians in Belfast can earn even higher wages.

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The FMB has now compiled a list of current average wages for tradespeople in the North and an equivalent list of average annual salaries for UK university graduates and Gavin McGuire, Director of FMB Northern Ireland, said it could prove, for some, to be enlightening.

Mr McGuire said when examples of average tradespeople salaries in the North are compared to average university graduate salaries it shows that construction apprentices could earn more than many graduates.

The report shows plumbers earning £41,942; roofers earning £40,270; plasterers earning £39,713 and bricklayers earning £38,042 while it shows grasduats such as pharmacists earning £42,252; dental practitioners £40,268; architects £38,228 and teachers earning £37,805.

“We’re calling on all parents, teachers and young people to seriously contemplate a career in construction instead of going to university. University students in Northern Ireland are typically charged over £4,000 a year to study here and over £9,000 a year to study in England and Wales.

“On the other hand, apprentices earn while they learn, taking home around £17,000 a year. Pursuing a career in construction is therefore becoming an increasingly savvy move.”

The FMB has warned that the North’s construction industry is in the midst of a severe skills crisis with firms struggling to find skilled tradespeople and it needs the next generation to help “build a sustainable skills base”.