The relationship between the aggregate annual wage bills of heating and ventilation contractors, heating and ventilation industry output and construction industry output

The construction industry is composed of a large number of separate sub-industries. Although the annual performance of the separate industries can be at variance with construction output, the labour market within a specialism may be more influenced by the performance of construction as a whole than the demand for that particular specialism. Taking the heating and ventilation industry as an example of one such specialism and using regression analysis, the annual wage returns of the membership of the Heating and Ventilation Contractors Association from 1957 to 1996 are compared to annual heating and ventilation and construction industry output. The total wages paid by heating and ventilation contractors is determined more by construction industry output than the annual output of the heating and ventilation industry itself.