Construction labour hire means booking labourers, skilled tradespeople, plant operators, traffic marshals or supervisors from an agency, which employs or engages the workers and charges you an hourly rate. Published cost guides put a CSCS-carded labourer at about £16 to £20 an hour outside London, with skilled trades and plant operators typically £20 to £35. The rate covers the worker's pay, holiday pay, employer's National Insurance, pension and the agency's margin.
Who you can hire through an agency
Labourers
General and CSCS-carded labourers for site clearance, moving materials, digging and cleaning.
Usually the cheapest rate on the list.
Skilled tradespeople
Bricklayers, joiners, groundworkers, plasterers, electricians and plumbers, by the day or for a whole package.
Ask for the card that matches the trade.
Plant operators, marshals and supervisors
Excavator and telehandler drivers, traffic and vehicle marshals, foremen and site supervisors.
Plant operators should hold a CPCS or NPORS card.
What agency labour costs
Agencies quote a charge rate per hour or per day. These ranges come from published construction cost guides and agencies' price lists, and London is usually dearer.
| Role | Typical charge rate | Typical worker pay |
|---|---|---|
| CSCS labourer | £16–£20 an hour | £13–£15 an hour |
| Bricklayer, joiner or plasterer | £20–£28 an hour | £17–£22 an hour |
| Electrician or plumber | £25–£35 an hour | £20–£28 an hour |
| Plant operator, such as a 360 excavator | £20–£30 an hour | £18–£24 an hour |
| Site supervisor or foreman | £27–£35 an hour | £22–£28 an hour |
What's inside the charge rate
The gap between what the worker earns and what you pay is mostly statutory costs, not profit. For a worker paid £14 an hour on a 40-hour week, the costs the employer must add come to roughly:
- Pay: £14.00It can't be below the National Living Wage, £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026.
- Holiday pay: about £1.70Irregular-hours workers build up holiday at 12.07% of hours worked, based on the 5.6 weeks' statutory minimum.
- Employer's National Insurance: about £2.0015% on weekly earnings above £96.
- Pension: about £0.40At least 3% from the employer on qualifying earnings, once the worker is auto-enrolled.
- Agency marginOn top of the roughly £18 of cost, the agency adds its margin for finding, vetting, payroll, insurance and admin.
Ask each agency for the charge rate, the minimum booking, overtime and weekend rates, travel, and whether VAT is on top. Many agencies set a minimum booking, often a full 8-hour day, with some offering half days. Some charge the full day if a worker is sent home for weather, and charge time and a half for overtime and Saturdays. A low hourly rate with a full-day minimum can cost more than a higher rate billed by the hour.
Rules that affect hirers
Equal treatment after 12 weeks Agency Workers Regulations
From day one, agency workers can use shared facilities such as canteens and transport. After 12 weeks in the same job with the same hirer, they're entitled to the same basic pay and conditions, including holiday, as someone recruited directly. The 12 weeks usually restart after a break of more than 6 weeks or a move to substantively different work, but some absences, such as sickness of up to 28 weeks, maternity leave or a site shutdown, only pause the count. Expect the charge rate to rise if your own staff are paid more.
Taking an agency worker on permanently Transfer fee
Under regulation 10 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, an agency can charge a transfer fee only within the later of 14 weeks from the worker's first day with you, or 8 weeks after their last assignment with you. It must also offer an extended hire period instead of the fee. Check your terms before you make an offer.
Workers are paid even if you're late paying Conduct Regulations
An agency must pay a temporary worker for all hours worked, even if the hirer hasn't paid. It can't charge workers a fee for finding them work.
Umbrella companies and PAYE Tax
Some agencies pay workers through an umbrella company. Since 6 April 2026, the agency that has the contract with the end client, or the end client if there's no agency, is responsible for making sure PAYE is operated correctly, and HMRC can recover underpaid PAYE from it. If you engage umbrella workers directly, that risk sits with you.
Right to work checks Immigration
The agency that supplies the worker is normally responsible for the right to work check before they start. From 1 October 2026, if you use agency labour to deliver work for your own client, you can also face a penalty for illegal working unless your contract with the agency meets the Home Office's requirements. Ask the agency to confirm checks are done and check your contract terms.
What to check before you hire
Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, a contractor must not employ or appoint anyone to work on a construction site unless they have, or are getting, the skills, knowledge, training and experience for the task. Agency labour is no exception, so ask to see the evidence:
- CSCS or partner scheme cards. A CSCS or partner scheme card isn't a legal requirement, but most principal contractors and housebuilders require one before a worker is allowed on site. A labourer's green card needs the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test and the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, or an approved alternative. A first card lasts 2 years, and the card must not be used for skilled work. Plant operators should hold CPCS or NPORS cards, scaffolders CISRS and electricians ECS, all schemes carrying the CSCS logo.
- Site induction. The principal contractor, or the contractor where there isn't one, must give every worker a suitable site-specific induction, whoever supplied them.
- Insurance. The agency or umbrella firm employing the workers must hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million. Ask for the certificate and for its public liability cover, and check your own employers' liability policy covers agency workers you direct on site.
- Supervision. If you're hiring a supervisor or site manager, ask for their SSSTS or SMSTS certificate and a supervisor or manager card.
For householders and small builders
If you're doing your own build or need an extra pair of hands for a few days, an agency saves you employing someone directly: the agency runs payroll, holiday pay and insurance. You're still in control of the work on site, so plan the tasks, check the worker's card and give them a basic safety briefing on day one. Ask about the minimum booking before you book a half day.
Questions to ask a labour agency
- What's the hourly charge rate, and is VAT on top?
- Is there a 4-hour or 8-hour minimum, and what happens if work stops for weather?
- What are the overtime, weekend and night rates?
- Which cards does each worker hold, and can I see them before they arrive?
- Are workers paid through PAYE by you or through an umbrella company?
- Have you done right to work checks?
- What transfer fee applies if I take a worker on, and when does it end?
- Can you send your employers' and public liability insurance certificates?
Prices in this guide are typical ranges from suppliers' published price lists and cost guides. They change and vary by area, so always confirm the price with the supplier before you book. Rules, fees and tax rates are checked against official sources.