SOC 2020 · 8152
Road construction operatives
Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations from
Skilled Worker
Not eligible
No Skilled Worker route through this code.
Salary floor
£41,700
The higher of the going rate and the general threshold.
Shortage lists
Not listed
This code is on neither the Immigration Salary List nor the Temporary Shortage List.
What this occupation actually pays
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, full-time gross annual pay.
- UK pay for this occupation
View these figures as a table
| Percentile | Pay |
|---|---|
| 25th | £32,079 |
| 50th | £38,833 |
| 75th | £46,527 |
| Region | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK 2025 | — | £32,079 | £38,833 | £46,527 | — |
| North West 2025 | — | — | £31,450 | — | — |
| Scotland 2025 | — | — | £35,267 | — | — |
| South East 2025 | — | — | £48,930 | — | — |
| South West 2025 | — | — | £44,133 | — | — |
| Wales 2025 |
Job titles in this code
What the work involves
Road construction operatives construct, repair and maintain roads and lay paving slabs and kerbstones to form pavements and street gutters.
Typical tasks
inspects road surfaces for hazards or signs of deterioration, clears mud, weeds and debris from road and spreads grit or salt as required
sets up traffic management systems around work site such as cones, lights and barriers
cuts away broken road surface with pick or pneumatic drill
heats bitumen in bucket, applies it to newly laid asphalt and beats or draws tamper head on asphalt to close joints
spreads bitumen, tar or asphalt and compacts surface using roller
spreads aggregate over road surfaces using shovel, lays markings on road surface and repairs crash barriers
removes damaged paving slabs and kerb stones, lays bedding of sand, concrete or mortar on prepared foundation, lays new slabs or stones and fills joints with mortar
Entry routes and qualifications
No academic qualifications are required. Training is typically provided on-the-job. All sites are required to have a ‘trained operative’ registered with the Street Workers Qualification Register. Trained operatives are required to attend accredited assessment centres. NVQs/SVQs in Highway Maintenance and Road Building are available at levels 1 and 2.