Call and contact centre occupations: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time call and contact centre occupations in the UK earned a median £27,035 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 31% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (47th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £24,282 and £32,536.
Median full-time pay: women £27,395 a year, men £26,130 a year.
About 75% of the roughly 44,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 31.5% (from £20,559), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 81,500 people in this line of work, 14% of them in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £21,885 | £460.00 | £12.29 | £12,686 | £275.20 | £12.28 |
| 20th percentile | £23,786 | £476.40 | £12.60 | £18,188 | £416.60 | £12.60 |
| 25th percentile | £24,282 | £486.90 | £12.88 | £20,589 | £456.30 | £12.83 |
| 30th percentile | £24,794 | £498.20 | £13.15 | £22,143 | £465.80 | £13.12 |
| 40th percentile | £25,874 | £515.90 | £13.69 | £24,073 | £487.30 | £13.60 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £27,035 | £546.50 | £14.44 | £25,440 | £509.30 | £14.30 |
| 60th percentile | £29,010 | £573.30 | £15.19 | £26,835 | £542.60 | £15.16 |
| 70th percentile | £31,581 | £613.30 | £15.97 | £29,007 | £578.60 | £15.91 |
| 75th percentile | £32,536 | £632.50 | £16.49 | £30,163 | £604.70 | £16.46 |
| 80th percentile | £34,584 | £654.20 | £17.28 | £32,135 | £627.30 | £17.25 |
| Mean | £28,807 | £579.70 | £15.23 | £25,477 | £518.60 | £15.19 |
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 | £20,559 | £394.90 | £10.50 | £19,046 | £370.50 | 42 |
| 2022 revised | £22,517 | £425.30 | £11.37 | £20,236 | £399.70 | 40 |
| 2023 revised | £24,269 | £471.30 | £12.58 | £21,619 | £439.20 | 32 |
| 2024 revised | £24,834 | £489.20 | £13.04 | £23,482 | £469.50 | 42 |
| 2025 provisional | £27,035 | £546.50 | £14.44 | £25,440 | £509.30 | 44 |
Call and contact centre occupations by region
UK: 81,500 (± 11,100), April 2025 to March 2026. 8 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 11,200* | ± 3,900 |
| North West | 10,400* | ± 3,900 |
| Scotland | 8,900* | ± 3,400 |
| North East | 7,500* | ± 2,700 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What call and contact centre occupations do
Call and contact centre occupations receive and respond to telephone calls from potential clients and existing customers regarding the products and services offered by an organisation. (ONS SOC 2020, 7211)
Also covers: call centre agent, call centre operator, customer service adviser (call centre), customer service operator, brand advocate, callcentre operator, collections associate, communications adviser, customer adviser, customer representative, enquiry agent, fraud adviser, telephone adviser, telephone clerk, 111 call handler, 111 health adviser, answer line operator and business retention adviser (45 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Answers incoming telephone calls from existing or prospective customers
- Interviews caller to establish the nature of any complaint or the requirements of the client
- Informs existing and potential customers on any immediate action to be taken, and refers the matter to a more senior member of staff if necessary
- Advises on services available and sells additional products or services
- Maintains details of calls received, the action taken as a result of a call and updates customer database as required
- Arranges for field staff to visit the caller if further assistance is required
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although many employers expect candidates to possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically provided on-the-job, supplemented by specialist short courses.
Related
Customer service occupations (median £28,036) · Telephonists · Communication operators · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026