Delivery operatives: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time delivery operatives in the UK earned a median £28,749 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 26% 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 (82nd from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £24,840 and £33,166.
Median full-time pay: women £29,274 a year, men £28,475 a year.
About 62% of the roughly 26,000 employee jobs are full-time.
From £22,979 in 2021, the median is up 25.1%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 21,800 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 | £22,845* | £455.30 | £12.21 | £11,369* | £176.20* | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £23,866 | £467.20 | £12.36 | £16,506* | £265.90* | £12.25 |
| 25th percentile | £24,840 | £483.70 | £12.39 | £18,777* | £312.80* | £12.36 |
| 30th percentile | £25,248 | £488.40 | £12.56 | £20,151* | £363.30* | £12.41 |
| 40th percentile | £26,393 | £513.10 | £13.01 | £24,021 | £453.80 | £12.74 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £28,749 | £551.10 | £13.56 | £25,541 | £479.30 | £13.41 |
| 60th percentile | £30,287 | £577.70 | £13.97 | £27,859 | £507.30 | £13.73 |
| 70th percentile | £32,161 | £606.70 | £15.17 | £29,997 | £563.80 | £14.69 |
| 75th percentile | £33,166 | £641.40 | £15.57 | £30,981 | £583.50 | £15.24 |
| 80th percentile | – | £659.50* | £16.29 | £32,274* | £598.00 | £16.18 |
| Mean | £29,220 | £577.40 | £14.37 | £24,895 | £463.10 | £14.26 |
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 | £22,979 | £429.40 | £11.00 | £20,603 | £374.20 | 25 |
| 2022 revised | £24,648 | £479.60 | £11.90 | £21,472 | £416.10 | 19 |
| 2023 revised | £22,726 | £460.40 | £11.86 | £21,634 | £417.00 | 19 |
| 2024 revised | £26,054 | £525.40 | £13.00 | £25,156 | £482.60 | 18 |
| 2025 provisional | £28,749 | £551.10 | £13.56 | £25,541 | £479.30 | 26 |
Delivery operatives by region
UK: 21,800 (± 5,700), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What delivery operatives do
Delivery operatives load and unload goods from removal vans and delivery vehicles, convey household and office furniture, goods, equipment or other items, accompany drivers of road vehicles, and perform other elementary goods handling tasks. (ONS SOC 2020, 9253)
Also covers: driver’s mate, delivery assistant, furniture remover, porter, baggage man, coal porter, crane attendant, crane follower, despatch porter, drayman's assistant, driver's assistant, freight lifter, furniture porter, hub operative, laundry porter, lorry loader, meat porter and motor porter (51 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Loads and unloads goods from removal vans or delivery vehicles either by hand or using trolleys and lift trucks
- Takes receipt of goods from customers and maintains and accurate record of deliveries
- Dismantles and packages items for transport if necessary
- Accompanies driver on journey and assists with manoeuvres and to load and unload vehicle
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically provided off or on-the-job.
Related
Elementary storage occupations (median £28,132) · Warehouse operatives · Elementary storage supervisors · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026