A construction labourer earns around €100 for a single day on the market in 2026, according to the ranges from Insertia. Pay under the collective agreement is lower on paper: about €60–63 a day in tables like Madrid's, which become €85–90 effective once bonuses and holiday pay are spread across the year. The legal floor for the whole sector: €20,298.22 gross a year in 2026.
Labourer pay per day: agreement vs market
If you are starting out on site, this is the full map of what you can earn:
| Item | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Single market day | ~€100/day |
| Table rate (Madrid 2026, "day total") | €62.61/day |
| Effective day with bonuses spread | ≈€85–90/day |
| National agreement minimum (BOE) | €20,298.22/year |
| Market payroll (Insertia) | €1,200–1,500/month |
| Agreement ordinary hour (Bizkaia 2025) | €16.18/h |
The important reading: the agreement sets the floor for your payroll, but a single day pays above it because it covers availability and travel, and whoever hires takes on no fixed overhead. Billed to an end client, Cronoshare puts a labourer's hour at €14–22.
What the national construction agreement says for 2026
The agreement from the VII General Agreement negotiating committee, signed by CNC, CCOO del Hábitat and UGT FICA and published in the BOE, sets:
- A 3.5% rise in 2025 (after a prior 0.4% revision under the 2022-2024 wage guarantee clause) and 3% in 2026.
- Sector pension plan: extra employer contribution of 0.5% in 2025 and 0.25% in 2026. From 1 Jan 2026, all companies contribute for their entire workforce.
- Scope: more than 1.5 million workers.
With those rises, the gross annual minimum for an ordinary labourer comes to €19,707.01 in 2025 and €20,298.22 in 2026. A technical detail almost nobody gets right: the ordinary labourer is Level XII of the agreement (Level XIII covers trainees and apprentices, not the labourer). And if you read anywhere that a labourer earns "€18,457", that is the 2023 figure: two years out of date.
A specialised labourer (Level XI) has a minimum of €20,602.68 in 2026. It is the first step up before reaching skilled grade.
Labourer pay by province
Construction agreements are provincial: you are paid according to the province where the site is. These are the ordinary labourer tables verified in official gazettes (gross annual):
| Province | Table year | Ordinary labourer | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bizkaia | 2026 | €28,446.14 | BOB 2-2-2026, via salariojusto.es |
| Barcelona | 2026 | €27,351.74 | BOPB 17-3-2026 (UGT FICA) |
| Madrid | 2026 | €23,051.90 | BOCM 31-12-2025 |
| Zaragoza | 2024 | €23,039.35 | CCOO Hábitat Aragón |
| Murcia | 2025 | €22,091.75 | BORM 3-2-2026 |
| Málaga | 2023* | €19,999 | calculadornomina.es |
*2023 tables pending an update.
Between Bizkaia (€27,510.78 already in the 2025 tables) and Málaga there is more than €7,500 a year of difference for the same job. So before accepting an offer, check which provincial agreement applies.
On daily rates, two official references:
- Madrid: labourer "day total" of €60.78 in 2025 and €62.61 in 2026, with bonuses and holiday pay separate. The Madrid agreement also adds an "on-site work incentive" of €147/month for production staff.
- Murcia: labourer base pay of €35.76/day, which rises with the attendance supplement (€18.67/day) and welfare benefits (€4.28/day).
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Labourer, semi-skilled and skilled: the pay ladder
The gap between grades is moderate in the agreement minimums, but it widens sharply on the market:
| Grade | Agreement minimum 2026 (BOE) | Single market day |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary labourer | €20,298.22/year | ~€100/day |
| Specialised labourer | €20,602.68/year | — |
| Semi-skilled | €21,225.39/year | €110–140/day |
| Skilled | €21,543.77/year | €130–200/day |
On market payroll, a labourer earns €1,200–1,500/month and a skilled tradesperson €1,700–2,200/month, according to Insertia. In other words: moving from labourer to skilled can mean up to double per single day. The grade is not handed to you, but it does not take a lifetime either: every site where you touch more trades (formwork, tiling, rendering) brings the step closer. There is detail on what each grade earns in how much a bricklayer earns per day.
Photo: Pexels
How to get single days near you
If you are starting out, the context is on your side: the employers' body CNC estimates construction is short of around 700,000 workers, and only 11% of those working in the sector are under 30. According to The Objective, labourers and bricklayers are among the most sought-after profiles in the sector.
Single days are the fast way in:
- You try out several contractors without tying yourself to any, and they try you out with no risk.
- You gain real experience across different trades, which is what later justifies the step to specialised labourer or skilled.
- You are paid market rate for every day (~€100/day), above the table day.
With Freeday the process is direct: you download the app free, create your profile with your trade and your area, mark the days you have free and receive geolocated alerts in real time from households and companies that need to cover days near you. No subscription. And if you go self-employed over time, the full strategy is in how to make money from the days you have free.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a construction labourer earn per day?
On the market, around €100 for a single day. On payroll, the table rate is around €60–63/day in agreements like Madrid's, equivalent to about €85–90 effective once bonuses and holiday pay are spread across the year.
What is the minimum wage for a construction labourer in 2026?
€20,298.22 gross a year according to the national agreement table published in the BOE (Level XII, ordinary labourer). A specialised labourer (Level XI) has a minimum of €20,602.68. Each provincial agreement can improve on those figures.
How much does a construction labourer earn a month?
On the market, between €1,200 and €1,500 on payroll according to Insertia. The national agreement minimum for 2026 (€20,298.22 gross a year) sits above many of those payslips if you work full time all year.
What is the difference between an ordinary and a specialised labourer?
The ordinary labourer is Level XII of the national agreement (€20,298.22 in 2026) and the specialised one is Level XI (€20,602.68). Note: Level XIII is not the labourer, it covers trainees and apprentices.
How much more does a skilled tradesperson earn than a labourer?
In the 2026 agreement minimums, a semi-skilled worker earns €21,225.39 and a skilled one €21,543.77, against €20,298.22 for the labourer. On the market the gap is wider: €110–140/day for semi-skilled and €130–200/day for skilled, against around €100 for the labourer.
How do I get labouring work with no experience?
The sector is looking for people: according to the CNC it is short of around 700,000 workers and only 11% of those employed are under 30. Single days are the fast way in: apps like Freeday alert you to work by the day near you and signing up is free.
🛟 Want to be paid market rate for your days? On Freeday you post your availability and work by the day near you reaches you, in real time and with no subscription. Sign up free — App Store · Google Play