Latest research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) quizzed small contractors on how much they pay tradespeople.

The highest reported annual salary for a London bricklayer was £90,000.

The average annual salaries were:

• Site managers earn £51,266
• Plumbers earn £48,675
• Supervisors earn £48,407
• Electricians earn £47,265
• Civil engineering operatives earn £44,253
• Steel fixers earn £44,174
• Roofers earn £42,303
• Bricklayers earn £42,034
• Carpenters and joiners earn £41,413
• Plasterers earn £41,045
• Scaffolders earn £40,942
• Floorers earn £39,131
• Plant operatives earn £38,409
• Painters and decorators earn £34,587
• General construction operatives earn £32,392

In comparison government figures show the UK’s university graduates earn the following average annual salaries:

• Pharmacists earn £42,252
• Dental practitioners earn £40,268
• Architects earn £38,228
• Teachers earn £37,805
• Chartered and certified accountants earn £37,748
• Midwives earn £36,188
• Veterinarians earn £36,446
• Physiotherapists earn £32,065
• Nurses earn £31,867

FMB Chief Executive Brian Berry said: “Money talks and when it comes to annual salaries, a career in construction trumps many university graduate roles.

“The average university graduate in England earns £32,000 a year whereas our latest research shows that your average bricky or roofer is earning £42,000 a year across the UK. In London, a bricklayer is commanding wages of up to £90,000 a year.

“Pursuing a career in construction is therefore becoming an increasingly savvy move. University students in England will graduate with an average £50,800 of debt, according to The Institute for Fiscal Studies, while apprentices pass the finish line completely debt-free.

“Not only that, apprentices earn while they learn, taking home around £17,000 a year.

“We are therefore calling on all parents, teachers and young people, who too-often favour academic education, to give a career in construction serious consideration.”