jobfacts

Groundworkers

SOC 2020 9121

Groundworkers prepare construction sites for building work by digging out and levelling the ground and laying concrete foundations, installing pipes and drainage and building paths, roads and driveways.

Also calledDrainage workerTrenchmanDrain testerDrainage contractorGroundworkerGround workerand 2 more titles
Typical full-time pay£37,9002025 Provisional
People in the job34,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month19↓ 5%on last year · 410th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time groundworkers earn between £31,400 and £44,500 a year.

What full-time groundworkers earn, 2025
£37,900 typical£29,500lowest 20%£44,50075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£31,400–£44,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£29,500
25%£31,400
Median£37,900
75%£44,500
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Many (39%) of groundworkers work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed groundworkers earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £37,900
East of England!£43,400
West Midlands!£38,400
South West!£38,100
East Midlands!£37,700
South East!£37,300
Yorkshire and The Humber!£33,800
Wales!£32,500
North East!£32,300
Scotland!£31,900
North West!£28,500
LondonNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £37,900
East of England£43,400 (small sample)
West Midlands£38,400 (small sample)
South West£38,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£37,700 (small sample)
South East£37,300 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£33,800 (small sample)
Wales£32,500 (small sample)
North East£32,300 (small sample)
Scotland£31,900 (small sample)
North West£28,500 (small sample)
LondonNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £35,600
  • 2024 £38,600
  • 2025 Provisional£37,900
↑ 6.4% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 19 jobs for groundworkers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 202619
Jul 202629
Jun 202627
May 202616
Apr 202623
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202615
Jan 202616
Dec 20256
Nov 202514
Oct 202527
Sept 202517
Aug 202529
Jul 202521
Jun 202518
May 202520
Apr 202510
Mar 202518
Feb 202527
Jan 202521
Dec 20246
Nov 202412
Oct 202421
Sept 202435
Aug 202416
Jul 202424
Jun 202425
May 202425
Apr 202423
Mar 202410
Feb 202411
Jan 202415
Dec 20239
Nov 20238
Oct 20238
Sept 202314
Aug 20238
Jul 20238
Jun 202315
May 202320
Apr 202315
Mar 202319
Feb 202318
Jan 202332
Dec 202224
Nov 202229
Oct 202227
Sept 202218
Aug 202216
Jul 202235
Jun 202222
May 202226
Apr 202213
Mar 202227
Feb 202221
Jan 202233
Dec 202132
Nov 202124
Oct 202150
Sept 202128
Aug 202139
Jul 202147
Jun 202142
May 202125
Apr 202127
Mar 202134
Feb 202126
Jan 202120
Dec 202027
Nov 202023
Oct 202023
Sept 202034
Aug 202025
Jul 202011
Jun 202011
May 202011
Apr 20208
Mar 202019
Feb 202031
Jan 202018
Dec 201910
Nov 201921
Oct 201924
Sept 201916
Aug 201914
Jul 201921
Jun 201919
May 201930
Apr 201916
Mar 201923
Feb 201929
Jan 201933
Dec 201816
Nov 201820
Oct 201826
Sept 201820
Aug 201820
Jul 201829
Jun 201822
May 201823
Apr 201832
Mar 201824
Feb 201837
Jan 201830
Dec 201728
Nov 201726
Oct 201746
Sept 201736
Aug 201758
Jul 201741
Jun 201727
May 201723
Apr 201738
Mar 201727
Feb 201724
Jan 201728
Is there a shortage of groundworkers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, online job advert density, visa density, hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
25%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for elementary construction occupations, which includes groundworkers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London4
Somerset3
Bristol, City of2
Swale2
Tonbridge and Malling2
Wealden2
Leicester1
Basingstoke and Deane1
Bath and North East Somerset1
Breckland1
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of groundworkers
23%!
23%!
27%!
13%!
12%!
2%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–2423% (small sample)
25–3423% (small sample)
35–4427% (small sample)
45–5413% (small sample)
55–6412% (small sample)
65+2% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree!4.8%
A levels or equivalent!30%
GCSEs or equivalent!32%
Other qualifications!14%
No qualifications!13%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degree4.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent30% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent32% (small sample)
Other qualifications14% (small sample)
No qualifications13% (small sample)

Main employers: construction of residential and non-residential buildings (36%), construction of roads and motorways (25%), construction of other civil engineering projects nec (8%), other specialised construction activities nec (6.8%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 32%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
18 months
typically
Self-employed
39%
of people in the job

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • mark out site area set up the construction site
  • prepares site and lays concrete for shallow foundations and fabricates steel cages
  • installs drainage and pipes and redirects waterways away from site
  • builds paths, roads, kerbs and footpaths, using flagstones, paving and tarmac

Skills

  • dig soil mechanically
  • follow health and safety procedures in construction
  • guide operation of heavy construction equipment
  • inspect asphalt
  • inspect construction sites
  • inspect construction supplies
  • inspect drainage channels
  • inspect railways visually
  • inspect road signs
  • lay base courses
  • lay pipe installation
  • pave asphalt layers
  • perform drainage work
  • position guardrails and toeboards

Knowledge

  • compaction techniques
  • dredging consoles
  • excavation techniques
  • mechanical tools
  • rail infrastructure
  • road traffic laws
  • work trains
  • asphalt mixes

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for elementary trades and related occupations, a group of 8 jobs that includes groundworkers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 21%about 97,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 203556,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.