Greystone_2026-Salary-Guide

BUILDING SERVICES

SALARIES & RATES 2026

When engineers choose, they choose Greystone.

4.5

average rating

69%

vote Greystone as their recruiter of choice. Those engineers who had previously utilised our services then went on to rate our service 4.5 out of 5 stars - not an easy feat in the recruitment industry demonstrating our commitment to the highest standards of service.

A Decade of Greystone: Stability, Demand, and What 2026 Means for the Industry 2026 marks a milestone year for Greystone. Ten years of championing building services engineering, supporting thousands of careers, and partnering with consultancies across the UK to strengthen their teams and shape their future. As we celebrate a decade in the industry, we want to begin with a sincere thank you. Your continued trust has made Greystone the agent of choice for so many across the UK, and it’s a privilege we don’t take lightly.

2025 was a year defined by resilience. Despite rising employer costs, NI increases, shifting tax realities, and an unpredictable political backdrop, the building services sector held its nerve. Confidence didn’t crumble. Work didn’t dry up. And engineers? They kept delivering. The industry has proven that even in choppy waters, it can move with purpose.

And as always, Greystone has been right there with you.

A decade in, and we’re only getting started.

Over the past two years, salaries have largely stabilised as employers navigated cost pressures and rebalanced internal structures. But the picture ahead looks different.

With the market remaining healthy and expectations rising, we anticipate salary growth returning in 2026.

Inflation, frozen tax thresholds, and the continued increase in cost of living will all play their part, and businesses should prepare for upward movement in pay.

3. Act now on electrical shortages Demand has been consistently high for two years. Without a coordinated industry response, the salary inflation curve for elec could steepen sharply.

4. Don’t fear visa sponsorship.

It’s far more accessible than many think. Yes, it’s complex, but it is also the key to unlocking skilled talent already in the UK looking to move. Greystone will even contribute towards visa costs as part of our commitment to solving this challenge with you.

5. Use freelancers to manage workload swings Flexible resourcing will continue to rise as businesses try to balance peaks, troughs, and project unpredictability.

6. Avoid the temptation to “hire direct to save money” We understand the instinct, but we’re seeing a dangerous trend. Candidates with poor performance history, failed probations, or concerning references are slipping through when there’s no rigorous vetting process in place.

The cost of a bad hire will far outweigh any saved fee.

Focus on delivering exceptional work and let the experts on your PSL safeguard your talent pipeline.

Looking Ahead

Your Partner for the Next Decade

Despite the broader economic noise, confidence hasn’t faltered. Employers remain busy, pipelines remain healthy, and candidates continue to feel positive about their long-term prospects. There is plenty of work out there, and those who tap into the right market intelligence can navigate towards the most exciting opportunities. As always, we’re here to advise you on who’s growing, who’s winning work, and where your next strategic move could take you.

Greystone has always believed in doing recruitment properly; ethically, intelligently, and with a genuine commitment to long-term industry health. As we enter our tenth year, that commitment only deepens.

Advice for Employers

And of course, if you haven’t seen it already, this guide contains a standout highlight. Engineers across the sector voted Greystone their recruiter of choice, rating our service 4.5 stars out of 5. A testament to everything we stand for.

Retention, Remuneration, and Reality-Checking

If there’s one message that rings loud and clear again this year, it’s this: look after the people you already have.

The cost of rehire remains one of the biggest hidden drains on business performance. Not just financially, but culturally. To protect your teams and reduce churn, employers should:

L THE DEMAND FOR ELECTRICAN KE ENGINEERS HAS OVERTA ND MECHANICAL FOR THE SECO YEAR RUNNING

We’re excited to welcome some brilliant new additions to the Greystone team this year, further strengthening our ability to support both clients and candidates across the UK. Watch this space. The next chapter is our strongest yet.

So whether you’re planning your next hire, shaping your pay strategy, or exploring the next step in your career, one thing remains true: Use us. Call us. Lean on us.

We’re here to help you make the right decisions. The ones that strengthen your business, elevate your teams, and keep you ahead of the market.

Here’s to another year of growth, clarity, and building a stronger industry together.

1. Hold regular development reviews Recognise achievement. Celebrate chartership. Reward progression. Annual increases alone won’t cut it; employees want to feel they’re moving forward.

2. Avoid overly sector-specific teams (unless operating in niches such as Datacentres, Healthcare, or Life Sciences) Most engineers want variety. A diverse project portfolio is one of the strongest retention tools you have.

Simon Wilson DIRECTOR & FOUNDER

Permanent Annual Salaries Leadership

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Director

£93,000 £175,000

£82,000 £117,500

£80,000 £112,000

£80,000 £106,000

£80,000 £106,000

£75,000 £85,000

£71,000 £90,000

£78,000 £100,000

£73,000 £86,000

£72,000 £90,000

Associate Director

£80,000 £102,500

£70,000 £94,000

£68,000 £87,000

£78,000 £90,000

£78,000 £88,000

£65,000 £75,000

£62,000 £75,000

£72,000 £86,000

£62,000 £75,000

£64,000 £76,000

Mechanical

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£71,000 £92,000

£67,000 £80,000

£66,000 £75,000

£64,000 £80,000

£63,000 £79,000

£55,000 £67,500

£52,000 £64,000

£65,000 £78,500

£60,000 £69,000

£55,000 £68,000

Principal

£65,000 £78,000

£57,000 £73,000

£55,000 £69,000

£56,000 £70,000

£55,500 £69,000

£51,500 £57,000

£48,000 £61,000

£54,000 £67,000

£48,000 £60,000

£48,000 £61,000

Senior

£53,000 £70,000

£55,000 £66,000

£48,500 £63,000

£49,000 £63,000

£48,000 £63,000

£43,000 £52,500

£41,000 £56,000

£47,000 £63,000

£42,000 £57,000

£41,000 £57,500

Intermediate

£38,500 £51,000

£35,000 £48,000

£33,500 £47,000

£34,500 £48,000

£34,000 £47,000

£31,500 £42,000

£29,000 £41,000

£33,500 £46,000

£31,000 £45,000

£32,500 £47,000

Graduate

£30,500 £39,000

£28,000 £36,000

£27,000 £34,000

£26,500 £34,500

£26,500 £34,000

£23,500 £31,000

£23,000 £31,000

£27,000 £34,000

£24,000 £32,500

£24,000 £34,000

Electrical

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£71,000 £92,000

£67,000 £81,000

£66,000 £75,000

£64,000 £80,000

£63,000 £79,000

£55,000 £67,500

£52,000 £64,000

£65,000 £78,500

£60,000 £69,000

£55,000 £68,000

Principal

£65,000 £79,000

£57,000 £73,000

£55,000 £69,000

£56,000 £70,000

£55,500 £70,000

£51,500 £57,000

£48,500 £61,500

£54,000 £67,000

£48,000 £60,000

£48,000 £61,000

Senior

£53,000 £71,000

£55,000 £66,000

£48,500 £63,000

£48,500 £63,000

£48,000 £63,000

£43,000 £52,500

£41,000 £56,000

£47,000 £63,000

£42,000 £57,000

£40,000 £57,500

Intermediate

£38,500 £51,000

£35,500 £48,000

£33,500 £47,000

£34,500 £47,500

£34,000 £47,000

£31,500 £42,000

£29,000 £41,000

£34,000 £46,000

£31,000 £45,500

£32,500 £47,000

Graduate

£31,000 £39,000

£29,000 £36,000

£27,500 £34,000

£27,000 £34,500

£26,500 £34,000

£24,000 £31,000

£23,000 £31,000

£27,500 £34,000

£24,500 £32,500

£24,000 £34,000

Public Health

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£71,000 £93,000

£69,000 £87,000

£58,500 £72,000

£61,000 £75,000

£59,000 £74,000

£55,000 £67,000

£58,000 £63,000

£59,000 £75,000

£55,000 £63,000

£54,000 £63,000

Principal

£60,000 £79,000

£58,000 £73,000

£52,000 £66,000

£53,000 £67,000

£49,500 £65,000

£51,000 £57,000

£48,000 £57,000

£53,000 £65,000

£48,000 £57,000

£46,500 £59,000

Senior

£51,000 £69,000

£45,000 £63,000

£43,000 £57,000

£45,000 £59,000

£44,000 £55,000

£43,000 £53,000

£39,500 £52,000

£44,500 £60,000

£41,000 £55,000

£38,000 £55,000

Intermediate £38,000 £52,000

£33,000 £45,000

£32,000 £45,000

£33,000 £44,000

£33,500 £45,000

£32,000 £41,500

£29,000 £40,000

£32,000 £46,000

£29,500 £40,000

£31,000 £39,000

£31,000 £38,500

£28,000 £35,000

£27,000 £32,500

£26,500 £33,000

£27,000 £33,000

£24,000 £31,500

£23,000 £30,000

£27,500 £35,000

£25,000 £30,000

£24,500 £32,000

Graduate

Permanent Annual Salaries Sustainability Leadership

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Director

£82,000 £110,000

£78,000 £92,000

£76,000 £90,000

£75,000 £88,000

£75,000 £87,000

£75,000 £87,000

£70,000 £84,000

£72,000 £87,000

£70,000 £85,000

£73,000 £89,000

Associate Director

£76,000 £97,000

£66,000 £82,000

£66,000 £80,000

£62,000 £79,000

£61,000 £79,000

£61,000 £79,000

£60,000 £72,000

£62,000 £77,000

£58,000 £73,000

£67,000 £75,000

Sustainability

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£58,000 £77,000

£51,000 £67,000

£50,000 £67,000

£53,000 £65,000

£53,000 £65,000

£53,000 £65,000

£49,000 £60,000

£51,000 £68,000

£50,000 £60,000

£51,000 £69,000

Principal

£50,000 £63,000

£45,000 £62,000

£48,000 £58,000

£46,000 £54,000

£46,000 £54,000

£46,000 £54,000

£40,000 £51,000

£46,000 £54,000

£45,000 £51,000

£46,000 £54,000

Senior

£41,000 £56,000

£38,000 £54,000

£39,000 £51,000

£40,000 £50,000

£40,000 £50,000

£40,000 £50,000

£37,000 £45,000

£41,000 £50,000

£37,000 £49,000

£38,000 £50,000

Consultant

£33,000 £45,000

£32,000 £44,000

£32,000 £42,000

£31,000 £43,000

£30,000 £42,500

£31,000 £42,000

£31,000 £40,000

£32,000 £43,000

£30,000 £39,000

£30,000 £43,000

Graduate

£27,000 £35,000

£25,000 £33,000

£25,000 £34,000

£24,000 £32,000

£24,000 £32,000

£24,000 £31,000

£23,000 £31,000

£24,000 £32,000

£23,500 £31,000

£24,000 £31,000

Building Physics

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£59,000 £77,000

£54,000 £68,000

£52,000 £68,000

£53,000 £65,000

£52,000 £64,000

£52,000 £64,000

£50,000 £61,000

£51,000 £66,000

£51,000 £61,000

£52,000 £68,000

Principal

£50,000 £64,000

£49,000 £62,000

£48,000 £59,000

£47,000 £56,000

£46,000 £56,000

£46,000 £55,000

£43,000 £51,000

£44,000 £54,000

£46,000 £51,000

£48,000 £54,000

Senior

£45,000 £57,000

£39,000 £53,000

£42,000 £53,000

£42,000 £52,000

£41,000 £51,000

£41,000 £52,000

£39,000 £48,000

£42,000 £49,000

£37,000 £48,000

£40,000 £48,000

Intermediate £34,000 £47,000

£32,000 £44,000

£33,000 £45,000

£31,000 £44,000

£30,000 £43,000

£31,000 £42,000

£31,000 £40,000

£32,000 £43,000

£29,000 £37,000

£32,000 £43,000

£28,000 £35,000

£26,000 £33,000

£25,000 £34,000

£24,000 £32,000

£23,500 £31,000

£24,000 £31,000

£23,000 £30,000

£24,000 £32,000

£24,000 £30,000

£24,000 £33,000

Graduate

Contract Rates Per Hour Mechanical

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£48 - £64

£44 - £56

£41 - £51

£42 - £53

£41 - £52

£39 - £49

£35 - £43

£40 - £50

£35 - £41

£32 - £39

Principal

£45 - £57

£40 - £53

£35 - £45

£38 - £48

£36 - £46

£38 - £46

£34 - £41

£38 - £47

£32 - £41

£28 - £38

Senior

£38 - £50

£34 - £43

£33 - £42

£33 - £45

£31 - £44

£34 - £41

£31 - £36

£34 - £42

£27 - £35

£27 - £36

Intermediate

£30 - £40

£29 - £36

£27 - £35

£28 - £35

£28 - £35

£28 - £35

£24 - £33

£29 - £36

£25 - £31

£25 - £31

Electrical

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£50 - £65

£44 - £56

£41 - £51

£42 - £53

£41 - £52

£39 - £50

£35 - £43

£41 - £52

£35 - £41

£32 - £41

Principal

£45 - £58

£40 - £53

£35 - £45

£38 - £48

£36 - £46

£36 - £46

£34 - £41

£37 - £46

£32 - £41

£31 - £39

Senior

£40 - £50

£35 - £45

£33 - £42

£33 - £45

£31 - £44

£31 - £42

£31 - £36

£33 - £42

£27 - £35

£27 - £35

Intermediate

£30 - £41

£30 - £38

£27 - £35

£28 - £35

£28 - £35

£30 - £35

£24 - £33

£31 - £36

£25 - £31

£25 - £31

Public Health

London

South East

South West

West Midlands

East Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

North East

North West

Wales

Scotland

Associate

£45 - £55

£43 - £50

£39 - £45

£41 - £51

£41 - £51

£38 - £48

£35 - £42

£39 - £49

£31 - £38

£29 - £37

Principal

£43 - £53

£41 - £50

£38 - £43

£35 - £45

£34 - £43

£35 - £43

£32 - £39

£36 - £44

£29 - £36

£27 - £35

Senior

£38 - £48

£37 - £42

£35 - £39

£32 - £41

£31 - £42

£31 - £39

£30 - £35

£32 - £40

£26 - £33

£24 - £33

Intermediate

£35 - £42

£36 - £38

£33 - £36

£28 - £35

£27 - £34

£26 - £33

£23 - £32

£28 - £34

£24 - £30

£23 - £30

4.5

average rating

We’re Greystone.

Recruitment as it should be.

Ready to hire better, faster, and with absolute confidence?

The data is here.

The insight is here.

The talent is within reach.

Greystone has supported this industry for a decade, and our commitment to raising the bar has never been stronger.

Whether you’re a business planning your next strategic hire or building a long-term talent pipeline; or you’re a candidate who simply needs clarity on what the market really looks like, we’re ready when you are.

Experience recruitment as it should be.

We place people that last.

95% of our placements last over a year. The industry average is just 77%.

CONTACT US

82%

76%

of our placements last over two years. The industry average is just 53%.

of our placements last over five years. The industry average is just 19%.

020 3011 1834 info@greystone-engineering.com

Find Out More.

If you want to find out more about how we can improve your hire success, contact us to receive your free consultation.

020 3011 1834 info@greystone-engineering.com