Fishmongers and poultry dressers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time fishmongers and poultry dressers in the UK earned a median £25,394 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 35% 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 (29th from the bottom).
A full-time median is published for men only; the sample of women is too small.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40.5 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
From £20,565 in 2021, the median is up 23.5%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40th percentile | – | – | – | £13.27 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £25,394 | £563.50* | £13.31 | £13.30 |
| 60th percentile | – | £576.00* | £13.36 | £13.47 |
| Mean | £27,093 | £581.00 | £13.45 | £13.51 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £20,565 | £379.90 | £9.61 | £18,601 | £343.80* |
| 2022 revised | – | £417.70* | £10.35 | – | £385.80* |
| 2023 revised | £22,308 | £436.70 | £10.99 | – | – |
| 2024 revised | £23,264 | £467.60 | £12.18 | – | £454.20* |
| 2025 provisional | £25,394 | £563.50* | £13.31 | – | – |
What fishmongers and poultry dressers do
Fishmongers and poultry dressers clean, cut and prepare fish and poultry for processing or sale. (ONS SOC 2020, 5433)
Also covers: butcher (fish, poultry), filleter (fish), fish processor, fishmonger, poultry processor, process worker (fish, poultry), boner (fish), chicken jointer, chicken plucker, crab dresser, fish cleaner, fish dealer, fish filleter, fish gutter, fish header, fish monger, fish nobber and fish preparer (35 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Scrubs, de-scales, heads, guts, washes and bones fish
- Cuts and slits fish for curing by hand or machine
- Care for livestock prior to processing and through the slaughter stage
- Handles through manual or mechanical means; the removal of feathers and internal organs, the extraction of edible offal, the removal of feet and head from poultry carcasses, trims, fillets, portions, trusses, dresses, weighs or prepares for packing
- Handles through manual or mechanical means; the weighing, labelling, packing and stacking of finished product as required
- Oversees quality assurance, food hygiene, product changeover, or other food production KPIs, and supervise others who are conducting tasks as required
Academic qualifications are not normally required. Training is typically provided on-the-job.
Related
Food preparation and hospitality trades (median £29,376) · Bakers and flour confectioners · Chefs · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026