Salaries and costs
Local pay rates reflect project size and travel distance, with labourers often on £12 to £15 per hour and skilled trades such as joiners or bricklayers in the £20 to £28 band. Site engineers tend to land £35,000 to £48,000, with site managers between £45,000 and £60,000. Permanent recruitment fees commonly sit between 12% and 20% of basic salary. Temp supply is charged through an hourly rate that covers pay, holiday, pension, NI, and agency margin, which might add £3 to £6 per hour on top of pay. Clarify overtime uplifts and travel allowances before a start date to keep agency costs predictable.
Qualifications
Most recruiters will ask for a valid CSCS card, with CPCS or NPORS for plant, and IPAF or PASMA for access work. Supervisors are often booked with SSSTS or SMSTS. Electrical roles may need an ECS card and current certificates. Where work touches schools or care settings, recruiters may arrange a DBS check and gather references. Right to Work checks and CIS status checks are standard, and good agencies explain what is needed before you register with an agency.
Regional or geographic variations
Hamilton sits close to the M74 and A725, so trades travel quickly to Glasgow, East Kilbride, and Bellshill. Hillhouse Industrial Estate and nearby sites feed steady demand for maintenance, fit out, and light civils. Rail links from Hamilton Central support early starts across South Lanarkshire. Travel time and parking can nudge pay rates up for harder to reach plots, and some local employers build travel time into shifts to help retention.
Local hiring challenges
Short notice cover is common for shutdowns, snagging, and handover work. Bricklayers, scaffolders, steel fixers, and experienced working forepersons can be hard to find at short notice. Weekend and night shifts create supply gaps unless agencies have a live temp pool. Recruiters who stay close to site managers, agree start windows, and pre clear candidates for inductions will help you hire staff without losing time on day one. Candidates should expect clear site briefs and a map pin for the compound to avoid late arrivals.
Roles and career paths
Recruitment agencies place general labourers, gatemen, telehandler ops, groundworkers, joiners, bricklayers, painters, and roofers. White hard hat roles include site administrator, document controller, trainee site engineer, assistant site manager, and quantity surveyor. Career paths often step from apprentice to improver, then to qualified tradesperson, with routes into chargehand and supervisor. For office based roles, trainees move toward estimator or planner with the right mentoring and software exposure. Good recruitment consultants will flag courses that open doors on the next step.
Employment types and availability
The Hamilton job market blends temporary, permanent, and contract work. Temporary roles suit shutdowns and weather dependent phases. Contract work supports longer civils and housing frameworks. Permanent hires lock in supervisors, estimators, and commercial staff for continuity. Local businesses use temp agencies for ramp ups, then convert people once the fit is proven, which helps retention and reduces repeat hires. Jobseekers can find employees who become colleagues by proving reliability on a few shifts, then asking for site to site continuity.
Pay, fees, and agency terms
Ask recruiters for written pay rates or salary ranges, plus overtime rules, travel, digs, and PPE notes. Agree recruitment fees, rebate periods, and temp to perm terms in advance. Employers can request costed rate cards that break out pay, holiday, NI, pension, and margin, which keeps agency costs clear for QS sign off. Candidates should ask when timesheets are due, whether payroll runs weekly, and if umbrella or PAYE is used, as this changes take home pay.
Compliance and safety standards
Agencies in construction handle Right to Work checks, UTR validation for CIS, and gather proof of tickets before confirming a start. RAMS briefings and site inductions sit with the principal contractor, yet recruiters help by sending arrival times, PPE lists, and contact names. Reportable incidents follow the Health and Safety at Work Act and RIDDOR rules, and reliable recruiters record near misses so repeat issues do not hit the same plot twice.
Common job roles agencies recruit for in Hamilton
Housebuilding sites call for groundworkers, kerb layers, and drainage teams. Commercial refurb draws joiners, dryliners, painters, and ceiling fixers. Civils and utilities bring in streetworks gangs, plant ops, and banksmen. Facilities maintenance around business parks keeps mobile engineers and multi traders busy. Recruitment agencies match these demands with the right tickets and start dates, keeping the workforce flowing between live phases across South Lanarkshire.
Quick facts and frequently asked questions
What recruitment fees do construction agencies charge in Hamilton?
Permanent fees often run at 12% to 20% of base salary, with temp charges built into an hourly rate that includes margin and statutory on costs.
Do agencies handle CIS and payroll?
Most employment firms can process CIS for limited roles and offer PAYE for temps, and they will explain the payslip before you accept a booking.
Can I hire at short notice for a weekend shift?
Yes, and the chances improve if you can approve CVs quickly and accept pre cleared workers who know the site and its induction process.
What licences do plant operators need?
CPCS or NPORS is the norm, and some sites ask for a medical, an in date safety critical certificate, or a recent induction record.
How do I register with an agency as a candidate?
Bring your ID, Right to Work, NI number, tickets, and recent references, then agree your travel range and shift pattern before your first booking.
What are typical pay rates for bricklayers in Hamilton?
Day rates often sit between £200 and £280 depending on scope, gang size, and travel, with price work available on some plots.
Can agencies cover out of hours jobs?
Many recruiters run on call coverage for nights and weekends, and bookings land faster when site details are clear and timesheets are simple to process.
Do employers pay for PPE?
Most sites expect workers to bring boots and hard hats as standard, and some employers will cover task specific PPE such as eye protection or cut gloves.
How do commuter links affect hiring?
Sites near the M74, A725, or Hamilton Central draw a larger candidate pool, which can help with retention and keep pay rates steady.
Can I find executive search support for construction leadership?
Specialist recruiters handle senior hires such as contracts managers, commercial leads, and operations roles, and these assignments run on a defined brief with staged updates.