Chemical and related process operatives: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time chemical and related process operatives in the UK earned a median £33,959 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £5,080 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 216th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £28,813 and £42,542.
Median full-time pay: women £30,436 a year, men £34,659 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 19,000 employee jobs, 95% full-time.
From £27,473 in 2021, the median is up 23.6%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 34,100 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,130 | £495.70 | £12.68 | £23,494* | £478.70 | £12.61 |
| 20th percentile | £27,398 | £536.10 | £13.31 | £26,202 | £518.60 | £13.26 |
| 25th percentile | £28,813 | £553.10 | £13.91 | £27,199 | £542.70 | £13.85 |
| 30th percentile | £30,025 | £575.20 | £14.43 | £28,829 | £557.10 | £14.16 |
| 40th percentile | £32,479 | £625.80 | £15.01 | £31,790 | £616.90 | £15.00 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £33,959 | £657.60 | £16.27 | £33,531 | £653.80 | £16.28 |
| 60th percentile | £36,320 | £711.20 | £17.40 | £35,905 | £701.40 | £17.40 |
| 70th percentile | £41,013* | £775.50 | £19.11* | £39,468* | £764.00 | £19.28* |
| 75th percentile | £42,542* | £819.20* | £20.52* | £41,953* | £793.20* | £20.48* |
| 80th percentile | – | £884.20* | £22.44* | – | £859.20* | £22.37* |
| Mean | £37,932 | £726.30 | £18.21 | £36,311 | £700.10 | £18.16 |
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 | £27,473 | £541.40 | £13.00 | £26,831 | £527.40 | 17* |
| 2022 revised | £27,141 | £541.60 | £12.99 | £26,853 | £534.80 | 19* |
| 2023 revised | £29,727 | £583.30 | £13.85 | £29,438 | £571.10 | 15* |
| 2024 revised | £33,191* | £650.70 | £15.75 | £33,089* | £639.30 | 17 |
| 2025 provisional | £33,959 | £657.60 | £16.27 | £33,531 | £653.80 | 19 |
Chemical and related process operatives by region
UK: 34,100 (± 7,200), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What chemical and related process operatives do
Chemical and related process operatives operate machinery in the processing of chemical and related materials by chemical, heat or other treatment, manufacture synthetic materials and bleach, dye or otherwise treat textiles, and treat hides, skins and pelts for making into fur, leather and skin products. (ONS SOC 2020, 8113)
Also covers: chemical process operator, gas producer operator, process technician (chemical mfr), process worker (cement mfr), process worker (nuclear fuel production), acetate maker, acetate spinner, acetone recoverer, acetylene generator, acid boiler, acid burnerman, acid maker, acid mixer, ammunition maker, annealer (chemicals), armature impregnator, asbestos trimmer and autoclave operator (690 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Loads prescribed quantities of ingredients into plant equipment, starts operational cycle, monitors instruments and gauges indicating conditions affecting the operation of the plant and adjusts controls as necessary
- Prepares dye, bleaching, water repellent, fixing salt and other chemical solutions to finish and treat textiles
- Regulates input of polymer into melting unit, extrudes polymer, gathers extruded filaments and feeds strands through rolling, cutting and treatment units to produce synthetic fibre
- Operates kilns, furnaces and ovens to produce charcoal, coke and other carbon products
- Operates machines to coat film and tape with sensitising material and otherwise impregnate materials by immersion, split and mould mica and produce asbestos pipes and sheets
- Cuts and trims skins, hides and pelts, removes wool, hair, flesh and other waste material, and washes, limes, tans, dyes and otherwise treats hides for making into leather, skin and fur products
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers require entrants to possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by specialised training courses. Vocational qualifications in Process Technology at levels 2 and 3 and apprenticeships are available.
Related
Process operatives (median £29,530) · Textile process operatives · Plastics process operatives · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026