Gross wages construction up again by more than 3.5%

Construction employers are also looking at a high wage index of more than 3.5% in 2022. Gross monthly wages in the construction industry also increased more than expected over the past two years. In 2021, they went up by 1.21% compared to 2020. Together with the previous year's increase (2.40%), wages increased by 3.51% between 2020 and 2021. For blue-collar workers, the increase in 2021 is on average 1.08% and for white-collar workers (part of PC 200) the increase is 1.30%, compared to 2020. Over two years, this is a total increase of 4.20% for white-collar workers; for blue-collar workers, the increase over two years is 2.68% (period 2020-2021). The analysis by SD Worx is based not on a survey, but on actual payroll data, recalculated to full-time equivalents, for 35,000 wage earners in the construction industry. This is the most current data for 12 months in 2021, compared to 2019 and 2020.

The evolution of gross wages provides a good indication of the evolution of employers' employment costs over a two-year period.

Tom Permanne, construction sector specialist at SD Worx: "For 2022, employers already know in part where they stand, and it's not minus: plus 3.58% for white-collar workers, plus 3.95% for electricians, and already plus 1.4% for blue-collar workers in the first quarter. This is in addition to the last two years' increases of 3.51% (compared to 2019). The average increase is higher than the indexations of the previous two years. This indicates that employers are paying above the pay scale due to scarcity. Construction wages are at least 10% higher than average."

Gross monthly salary varies greatly depending on the specific job, skills, region, and age. The average monthly wage does not take these differences into account.