The cost of hiring a self-employed plumber dropped last month as “well-paid subbies took a well-earned break” during the Easter holidays, according to Hudson Contract.
Hudson said average weekly earnings for plumbing subcontractors fell by 9.8% to £1,028 in April.
Despite the fall, the earnings were 11.1% ahead of the same month in 2021.
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “As expected, earnings for April were affected across all trades as freelancers took their families away for a long-awaited holiday with the lifting of Covid travel restrictions across many European short-haul destinations and plenty of good package deals on offer.
“The well-publicised queues at Manchester airport and tailbacks outside Dover will have been full of self-employed tradespeople heading off for some early season sunshine. Well-paid plumbers took a well-earned break after doing so much to keep the wider economy going over the last two years.”
Weekly earnings for plumbing subcontractors reached a post-pandemic high of £1,139 in March and have averaged at £1,059 this year, Hudson added.