Northern cities are best for plumbers, painters and fitters to live and work, according to new research from Sanctuary Bathrooms.
Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow came out top in analysis by the Leeds retailer, which took into account cost of living data, average wages, and good building degree courses, as well as other factors to determine the top 10 best cities for tradespeople, including fitters and decorators.
The research showed that while London offered the highest rates of pay for tradespeople across the board (£28,175), spending power is eroded by the highest cost of living in the top 10 with a score of 55 out of 100.
This compares with Glasgow, which boasts the highest rates of pay for those in trade when adjusted for cost of living. An electrician earns an average annual wage of £28,683, while the Scottish city’s cost of living score was almost 75 out of 100.
The survey said that the city also offers good job opportunities for tradespeople, with 7.8% of the workforce made up of them.”
Four other cities ranked in the top 10 were north of London. They included Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds and Manchester.
London was ranked fourth, boosted by its University College London building degree course, which got a rating of 99.2 out of 100.
The analysis also showed that Leeds has the highest concentration of tradespeople in the workforce, making up 10.3% of the city’s working population.
Bristol brought up the rear, with just 6.2% of its workforce in a trade. Perhaps because of the relatively low annual average wage of joiners, decorators and plumbers – £22,616.
But the building course at the West of England University was rated 94 out of 100.
James Roberts, director of Sanctuary Bathrooms, said: “As a company with our roots tied into the trade sector, both through our employees and our clients, we wanted to look where to find the best opportunities for tradespeople in the UK.
“The results are a useful resource for those wanting to embark on a career as a tradesperson, and also highlight important hubs for related businesses to expand into.”