Buyers and procurement officers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time buyers and procurement officers in the UK earned a median £37,306 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £1,733 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 168th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £30,065 and £46,937.
Median full-time pay: women £36,866 a year, men £37,447 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 70,000 employee jobs, 94% full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 18.2%, from £31,556, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 64,100 people in this line of work, 18% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £25,700 | £522.50 | £13.97 | £24,312 | £502.20 | £13.66 |
| 20th percentile | £28,881 | £574.90 | £15.33 | £27,798 | £568.80 | £15.24 |
| 25th percentile | £30,065 | £597.40 | £15.81 | £29,327 | £584.00 | £15.62 |
| 30th percentile | £31,369 | £615.60 | £16.34 | £30,678 | £608.00 | £16.09 |
| 40th percentile | £33,875 | £670.80 | £17.78 | £33,275 | £651.40 | £17.54 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,306 | £726.20 | £19.03 | £36,230 | £711.40 | £18.92 |
| 60th percentile | £40,313 | £788.80 | £20.51 | £39,908 | £772.20 | £20.45 |
| 70th percentile | £44,215 | £848.30 | £23.10 | £43,513 | £841.30 | £23.04 |
| 75th percentile | £46,937 | £917.80 | £24.52 | £46,019 | £896.40 | £24.52 |
| 80th percentile | £50,147* | £976.80 | £25.94 | £49,927* | £961.50 | £25.89 |
| Mean | £40,923 | £787.10 | £20.95 | £39,931 | £770.40 | £20.88 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £31,556 | £609.20 | £16.12 | £30,587 | £595.10 | 54 |
| 2022 revised | £33,133 | £623.10 | £16.59 | £31,844 | £613.30 | 51 |
| 2023 revised | £32,391 | £634.80 | £17.00 | £31,400 | £615.60 | 67 |
| 2024 revised | £35,467 | £685.10 | £18.23 | £34,365 | £673.40 | 65 |
| 2025 provisional | £37,306 | £726.20 | £19.03 | £36,230 | £711.40 | 70 |
Buyers and procurement officers by region
UK: 64,100 (± 9,800), April 2025 to March 2026. 11 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 11,800* | ± 4,300 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What buyers and procurement officers do
Buyers and procurement officers organise and undertake the buying of raw materials, equipment and merchandise from manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and other sources for distribution, resale or for own internal use. (ONS SOC 2020, 3551)
Also covers: bid writer, buyer, procurement officer, purchasing consultant, supply planner, advertising buyer, buying agent, buying assistant, buying controller, contract officer, contracts officer, fashion buyer, media buyer, print buyer, procurement consultant, procurement engineer, procurement specialist and purchasing agent (43 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Attends trade fairs, shows and demonstrations to research new product lines and suppliers, checks catalogues
- Keeps up with market trends and chooses products/services
- Assesses budgetary limitations and customer requirements and decides on quantity, type, range and quality of goods or services to be bought
- Assesses bids from suppliers, finds suppliers and negotiates prices
- Helps negotiate contract with supplier and specifies details of goods or services required
- Looks at ways to improve supply networks, presents new ideas to senior management team
There are no formal academic requirements although some employers expect A levels/H grades, BTEC/SQA awards or degrees. Employers may ask for specific experience for a particular role. Professional qualifications and vocational qualifications in Procurement at levels 3, 4 and 5 are available.
Related
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals (median £45,000) · Business sales executives · Merchandisers · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026